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• born
  born

  adjective

  brought forth by birth.
• Born
  Born

  noun

  Max, 1882–1970, German physicist: Nobel Prize 1954.

born

¹ American  

[bawrn] / bɔrn /

adjective

1. brought forth by birth.

2. possessing from birth the quality, circumstances, or character stated.

   a born musician; a born fool.

3. native to the locale stated; immigrated to the present place from the locale stated.

   a German-born scientist; a Chicago-born New Yorker.

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verb

1. a past participle of bear.

idioms

1. born yesterday, naive; inexperienced.

   You can't fool me with that old trick—I wasn't born yesterday.

Born ² American  

[bawrn] / bɔrn /

noun

1. Max, 1882–1970, German physicist: Nobel Prize 1954.

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born ¹ British  

/ bɔːn /

verb

1. the past participle (in most passive uses) of bear 1

2. is not gullible or foolish

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adjective

1. possessing or appearing to have possessed certain qualities from birth

   a born musician

2. 1. being at birth in a particular social status or other condition as specified

      ignobly born

   2. ( in combination )

      lowborn

3. informal so far in one's life

Born ² British  

/ bɔːn /

noun

1. Max . 1882–1970, British nuclear physicist, born in Germany, noted for his fundamental contribution to quantum mechanics: Nobel prize for physics 1954

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born More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing born

• in all one's born days
• not born yesterday
• to the manner born

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Usage

Care should be taken not to use born where borne is intended: he had borne (not born ) his ordeal with great courage ; the following points should be borne in mind

Commonly Confused

Since the latter part of the 18th century, a distinction has been made between born and borne as past participles of the verb bear1 . Borne is the past participle in all senses that do not refer to physical birth: The wheatfields have borne abundantly this year. Judges have always borne a burden of responsibility. Borne is also the participle when the sense is “to bring forth (young)” and the focus is on the mother rather than on the child. In such cases, borne is preceded by a form of have or followed by by: Anna had borne a son the previous year. Two children borne by her earlier were already grown. When the focus is on the offspring or on something brought forth as if by birth, born is the standard spelling, and it occurs only in passive constructions: My friend was born in Ohio. No children have been born at the South Pole. A strange desire was born of the tragic experience. Born is also an adjective meaning “by birth,” “innate,” or “native”: born free; a born troublemaker; Mexican-born.

Other Word Forms

• preborn
  adjective
• self-born
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of born

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English boren (past participle of beran “to give birth”), equivalent to bor- past participle stem + -en past participle suffix; see bear ¹, -en ³

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Explanation

When a baby is born, she comes into the world through birth. If you say, "I was born in July," that's the month in which your mother gave birth to you. You can talk about a newly born baby or ask your friend what year she was born. Even ideas or organizations can be described this way: "My book group was born in 2005." If you're a really good bowler, you can also say you were born to do it, or that you're a "born bowling champion." The Old English root of born is boren, the past participle of beran, "to bring, bear, or produce."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

born Born

Now 50 years old, he lives and works in England, where he was born, raised and knighted, and the distance between Sir Demis Hassabis and Silicon Valley gives him a different perspective altogether.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

Though the tableaux depict hardships endured by a painter born in 1593, Artemisia, the impressions convey yearning, grief, suffering and resilience that transcend centuries.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 21, 2026

“Paralyzed by Hope” is born out of Bamford’s bipolar disorder and her OCD, and it explores her and her family’s mental health issues in depth.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

After Uzbekistan, Rubio will go to India where the US ambassador is Sergio Gor, who was born in Uzbekistan and is also the US special envoy for Central Asia.

From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026

“I wasn’t born yesterday, Ana,” her mom says, coming down the stairs.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Born in Somalia, Omar moved to the US with her family as a child.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, the film critic, author and journalist has made a career out of celebrating her city.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Born Robert Francis Prevost on Chicago's South Side in 1955, the 71-year-old pontiff is the first American-born pope and has been warmly embraced by US Catholics since he was elected last May.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Born from Wolf’s real frustrations in a long-term relationship, the melodramatic hit bubbles with acoustic guitar and low, vocal flip-laced mourning to amplified crescendos, replete with punchy garage-rock drumming and Wolf’s howling chorus.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

“But he could perfectly well live for years, as far as that goes. Born and bred in a briar patch, Brer Fox.”

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

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