birthright citizenship

American  

[burth-rahyt sit-uh-zuhn-ship] / ˈbɜrθˌraɪt ˈsɪt ə zənˌʃɪp /

noun

1. the practice of automatically granting citizenship to a child born in a particular country, regardless of the citizenship status of the parent or parents.

   an end to birthright citizenship.

2. the state of having such citizenship.

   to grant birthright citizenship to the child of new immigrants.

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Etymology

Origin of birthright citizenship

First recorded in 1845–50

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

birthright citizenship

Two events made this maneuver worth trying: The first was a Supreme Court decision in 1898 confirming that birthright citizenship applied to all regardless of race.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 1, 2026

This was in spite of the fact that the 14th Amendment grants birthright citizenship to “all persons” who are born in the United States and subject to its laws.

From Slate ● Aug. 11, 2026

The US and Canada are the only two countries considered "developed" nations by the International Monetary Fund that grant mostly unrestricted birthright citizenship.

From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026

Yale Law Professor Akhil Amar, a constitutional historian, argued that the history of birthright citizenship is clear and not subject to revisionist thinking.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 12, 2026

Thomas wrote a dissent in the birthright citizenship case, too, but it was more academic, replete with arcane archival material about the history of birthright citizenship and the 14th Amendment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

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