birthright

[ burth-rahyt ]

/ ˈbɜrθˌraɪt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR birthright ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any right or privilege to which a person is entitled by birth: Democracy maintains that freedom is a birthright.

Nearby words

Origin of birthright

First recorded in 1525–35; birth + right

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for birthright

Anthony Goldstein probably chose a trip to the Quidditch World Cup over his Birthright trip to Israel.
Harry Potter and the Torah of Terror|Candida Moss, Joel Baden|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
I cannot sell my birthright, nor am I prepared to sell the birthright of the people to be free.
Nelson Mandela Demanded Justice Before Forgiving White South Africans|Peter Beinart|December 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Beinart also mischaracterizes what I say about Birthright and other organized trips to Israel.
'Is It Good For The Jews?' Is Not The Question|Shany Mor|December 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I note that the situation is not as simple as he believes and that Birthright trips avoid settlements too.
'Is It Good For The Jews?' Is Not The Question|Shany Mor|December 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST

When Yigal Amir shot and killed Yitzhak Rabin, he did so in the insane belief that Rabin had betrayed a Jewish birthright.
Don't Let the Maccabees Win|Matt Lerner|December 4, 2013|DAILY BEAST
No longer was the estate protected by the minor's kin as his birthright.
Our Legal Heritage, 5th Ed.|S. A. Reilly
Whose turn would it be next to pay with his life for attempts to vindicate the birthright of his citizenship?
William Lloyd Garrison|Archibald H. Grimke
Nor can it be persuaded to exchange its birthright for any mess of efficiency-pottage at the hands of the bureaucracy.
The Case For India|Annie Besant
To give examples: Blake, while submissive to Hayley, was humble, but at the risk of his birthright.
William Blake|Charles Gardner
The wild temptation to sell her Plummer birthright for a kiss assailed her.
Rebecca Mary|Annie Hamilton Donnell

British Dictionary definitions for birthright

birthright

/ (ˈbɜːθˌraɪt) /

noun

privileges or possessions that a person has or is believed to be entitled to as soon as he is born

the privileges or possessions of a first-born son

inheritance; patrimony

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for birthright