give birth to

1. Bear a child, as in She gave birth to her first child exactly at midnight . [Early 1800s]

2. Also, give rise to . Be the cause or origin of. For example, His hobby gave birth to a very successful business , or The economic situation gave rise to widespread dissatisfaction . The first term dates from the early 1700s, the second from the late 1700s.

Example Sentences

William Mulholland, the man who brought in Owens Valley water in 1913, told a committee that sought his candidacy: “Gentlemen, I would rather give birth to a porcupine backwards than be mayor of Los Angeles.”

From Los Angeles Times

Patricia Roisinblit was kept alive long enough to give birth to her son in a basement.

From BBC

But he had no idea that season would give birth to the most dominant force in the history of club soccer — and perhaps the most dominant force in the history of international sports.

From Los Angeles Times

Because of these pressures, these units will continue to close, forcing women to travel farther to give birth, to deliver before going full term and to deliver outside of traditional hospital settings.

From Salon

In “Squid Game In Conversation,” Hwang tells his actors that “the most important decision in Season 3 was to give birth, to have the baby be born and to give Gi-hun his mission to protect it and finally save the baby by sacrificing himself,” he said.

From Salon

Related Words

• build 
• conceive 
• construct 
• design 
• devise 
• discover 
• establish 
• forge 
• form 
• found 
• generate 
• initiate 
• invent 
• make 
• organize 
• plan 
• produce 
• set up 
• shape 
• spawn