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

Congress adopted birthright citizenship in the Immigration and Nationality Acts of 1940 and 1952.

From Los Angeles Times • May 31, 2026

Last month, Cecillia Wang, the head of the ACLU, asked the Supreme Court to preserve birthright citizenship, a pillar of the 14th Amendment.

From Slate • May 26, 2026

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

There he sat in the public gallery, Don Corleone-esque, daring the Supreme Court to find fault with his read on birthright citizenship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 2, 2026

But Alito later pressed the challengers’ attorney about the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which established the first federal rule for birthright citizenship.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026