miscarriage

American  

[mis-kar-ij, mis-kar-ij] / mɪsˈkær ɪdʒ, ˈmɪsˌkær ɪdʒ /

noun

1. the expulsion of a fetus before it is viable, especially between the third and seventh months of pregnancy; spontaneous abortion.

2. failure to attain the just, right, or desired result.

   a miscarriage of justice.

3. failure of something sent, as a letter, to reach its destination.

4. Chiefly British. transportation of goods not in accordance with the contract of shipment.

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miscarriage British  

/ mɪsˈkærɪdʒ /

noun

1. spontaneous expulsion of a fetus from the womb, esp prior to the 20th week of pregnancy

2. an act of mismanagement or failure

   a miscarriage of justice

3. the failure of freight to reach its destination

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miscarriage Scientific  

/ mĭs′kăr′ĭj /

1. The premature, spontaneous expulsion of the products of pregnancy from the uterus, usually in the first trimester.

2. Also called spontaneous abortion

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miscarriage Cultural  

1. A spontaneous and premature expulsion of an embryo or fetus from the uterus before it is capable of surviving on its own.

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Discover More

Generally, a miscarriage is a failure to achieve a desired end, as in a miscarriage of justice.

Etymology

Origin of miscarriage

First recorded in 1605–15; mis- ¹ + carriage

Explanation

A miscarriage, in medical terms, is the birth of a fetus before it's able to live independently of its mother. In other words, a miscarriage is the abrupt, early end of a pregnancy. The medical sense of miscarriage, which usually describes the very early loss of a pregnancy (later losses are often called stillbirths), is actually among the newer uses of the word. In the sixteenth century, a miscarriage was almost always a "mistake or error" or sometimes "misbehavior." Today, when something doesn't go the way it was supposed to, you might call it a miscarriage.

Example Sentences

Another midwife recalled being told she had to return to the labour ward to deliver babies, after she had personally experienced a late miscarriage.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

Emma's case dates back almost 40 years to when she phoned her GP concerned she was having a miscarriage.

From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026

“Individual stories of altered and suboptimal miscarriage management emerged quickly in the days following Dobbs, including several overtly tragic examples,” he said.

From Salon • May 26, 2026

Less than three months into her pregnancy, Debbie had a miscarriage, the first of three.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

“Not counting her own, before. She had an eighth-month miscarriage, didn’t you know?”

From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood

Related Words

• abortion
• mishap