Synonyms

childbearing

American

[chahyld-bair-ing] / ˈtʃaɪldˌbɛər ɪŋ /

noun

the act of producing or bringing forth children.

adjective

capable of, suitable for, or relating to the bearing bear of a child or of children.

the childbearing years.

Etymology

Origin of childbearing

A Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; child, bearing

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 total fertility rate is the average number of children each woman would have in her lifetime if birthrates for each age group were to continue at that year’s pace through her childbearing years.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

They vowed at a key economic policy meeting in December to "advocate positive views on marriage and childbearing, and strive to stabilise the number of new births" in 2026, according to state broadcaster CCTV.

From Barron's • Jan. 5, 2026

“I’ve been in the business 51 years, and congenital measles only occurs when you have women in their childbearing years who are neither vaccinated or previously infected.”

From MarketWatch • Dec. 17, 2025

This will help clarify how often these drugs are being prescribed to women of childbearing age and what risks this may pose to unborn children.

From Science Daily • Nov. 28, 2025

No one knows for sure, but local doctors think that as many as 30 percent of all men and women of childbearing age who live in the vicinity of Mount Elgon are infected with hiv.

From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023