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.
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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.
The magical year in that case is 1868, when birthright citizenship was enshrined in the 14th Amendment.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 10, 2026
These remaining cases have massive implications for democracy, civil liberties, and the fundamental question of who gets to be an American; they include disputes over birthright citizenship, voting rights, immigration, and executive authority.
From Slate • Jun. 1, 2026
Roughly 30 to 35 countries offer some form of birthright citizenship, particularly across the Americas, with varying degrees of restriction based on parental residency or legal status.
From Salon • May 24, 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
Justice Neil Gorsuch, whom Trump appointed to the court, questioned how to square arguments against Trump’s order with the current birthright citizenship exception for children of Native American tribes.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 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.
