midwife
Americannoun
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midwives
plural
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a person trained to assist women in childbirth.
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a person or thing that produces or aids in producing something new or different.
verb (used with object)
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to assist in the birth of (a baby).
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to produce or aid in producing (something new).
to midwife a new generation of computers.
noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of midwife
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English midwif, from mid “with, accompanying” ( Old English; see also meta-) + wif “woman” ( Old English wīf; see wife)
Explanation
A midwife is someone whose job involves helping women give birth to babies. Some pregnant women get their prenatal care from a midwife, as well as delivering their babies with a midwife's help. There are different categories of midwives — lay midwives attend home births, and nurse midwives also assist birthing women at hospitals and birth centers. In either case, a midwife is trained to understand the process of birth and techniques to make it easier and safe for mothers and newborn babies. Midwife literally means "woman who is with," or "woman assisting," from the Middle English mid, "with," and wif, "woman."
Vocabulary lists containing midwife
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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.
See Examples For:
An NHS spokesperson advised seeking support from your GP, health visitor or midwife if these symptoms persist, in addition to charities such as Mind and PANDAS.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
"Maisie's heart rate had dropped and a midwife ran in and said 'don't panic, but I need to pull the emergency cord - you're having your baby'," Danielle said.
From BBC ● Nov. 2, 2026
Former nurse and midwife Helen Haines entered parliament in 2019, earning respect across the political divide for her efforts to stamp out corruption and bolster transparency.
From Barron's ● Oct. 20, 2026
Haines entered parliament in 2019 after working as a nurse and midwife, becoming known for stances such as supporting stronger climate action.
From Barron's ● Oct. 19, 2026
She could tell the midwife she had waited with Joan.
From "The Midwife's Apprentice" by Karen Cushman
“Cárdenas was, in a real sense, one of the midwives of Mexico’s democratic transition,” said Kathleen Bruhn, a political science professor specializing in Mexico at the University of California.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
Speaking publicly for the first time about the present condition of maternity services, she added that Northern Ireland should not be relying on the goodwill of midwives to keep some services afloat.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The figures show the number of full-time midwives employed at the two hospitals.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
The number of midwives employed in the acute maternity units at Daisy Hill and Craigavon has fallen since October 2019.
From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026
She checked in on the pregnant women and gave advice to the midwives and healers and apothecaries.
From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill
The actually existing Mets were also midwifed by Gotham honchos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 27, 2026
He midwifed the country’s first farm labor bill, and was decades ahead of his time on renewable energy and climate change.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2023
"It's not going to stop with Black studies, it will continue to all the other subjects and knowledges that are midwifed and have been midwifed by Black studies."
From Salon ● Mar. 31, 2023
The new country was cheered on in 2011 by the American diplomats who had midwifed its delivery and the Hollywood celebrities who championed its cause.
From New York Times ● Feb. 3, 2023
That winter, she midwifed two babies that I remember.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
“There is lots to be proud of, including midwifing ten new plays by women playwrights from Los Angeles, into the American theatre through our Writers Workshop,” he wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 2, 2022
In this new place, she's midwifing a future.
From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2021
And James will ironically be in the position of midwifing the next phase of America’s gun movement.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2020
However, Campbell is also sharply scrutinized for his role in midwifing and unleashing Dianetics.
From Nature ● Oct. 9, 2018
Mother charged about five hundred dollars for a delivery, and this was another way midwifing changed her: suddenly she had money.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
Langhorne was midwived in a Bethesda hospital, the middle of three sons to a father who ran a concrete company.
From Washington Post ● Oct. 5, 2015
I pretend neither to the spirit of prophecy, nor to any uncommon skill in predicting a crisis; much less to tell when it begins to be nascent, or is fairly midwived into the world.
From James Otis, the pre-revolutionist by John Clark Ridpath
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
