birthright citizenship
Americannoun
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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.
-
the state of having such citizenship.
to grant birthright citizenship to the child of new immigrants.
Etymology
Origin of birthright citizenship
First recorded in 1845–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Chief Justice John Roberts’ opinion for the court explained how the long-held understanding of birthright citizenship dates back to the English crown.
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
It is also what they will do with the issue of birthright citizenship.
From Salon ● Jul. 9, 2026
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
