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

Example Sentences

It’s the latter portion — “subject to the jurisdiction thereof” — that leaves room for interpretation, forming the beachhead upon which legal arguments against birthright citizenship have been mounted.

From Salon • Apr. 4, 2026

The Supreme Court case establishing birthright citizenship involved a Chinese American man named Wong Kim Ark, born to parents who came here legally but couldn’t become citizens because of the era’s anti-Chinese laws.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2026

The John Brown trial cannot completely resolve today’s birthright citizenship controversy—Brown was a citizen of the U.S., although not of Virginia, at a time when state citizenship was primary—but the implications are undeniable.

From Slate • Apr. 2, 2026

Some members of the court’s six-justice conservative majority voiced clear unease about upending birthright citizenship to deal with modern problems.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

But several justices said that interpretation would fundamentally reshape how Americans and people living around the world understand the US birthright citizenship process.

From BBC • Apr. 1, 2026