newborn

American  

[noo-bawrn, nyoo-] / ˈnuˈbɔrn, ˈnju- /

adjective

1. recently or only just born.

2. born anew; reborn.

   a newborn faith in human goodness.

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noun

• newborn,
  plural
• newborns
  plural

1. a newborn infant; neonate.

newborn British  

/ ˈnjuːˌbɔːn /

adjective

1. 1. recently or just born

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the newborn

2. (of hope, faith, etc) reborn

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• newborn
  plural
• newborns
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of newborn

Middle English word dating back to 1250–1300; see origin at new, born

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Explanation

A newborn is literally a baby animal (including us human animals) who was born in the past month. Figuratively, newborn describes anything recently born or created, like a newborn interest in vocabulary. Little babies are newborns until they're a month old — four weeks is the official human newborn cut-off age. Then they’re just regular ol’ babies. Other things can be newborn as long as they’re brand new — a newborn restaurant was opened recently, a newborn celebrity might be 18 but she just got famous. You could have a newborn fear if you recently became scared of something. Most newborns are not scary, though. (Unless you’re babysitting one.)

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

newborn newborns

While Elliot was still recovering in a maternity ward the next day, Zhang demanded she buy a car seat and drive Zhang and her newborn son to the airport, according to the suit.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 13, 2026

Years ago my wife and I lost a newborn baby to a bacterial infection.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

Astronomers have generally expected that much of the gas around these young galaxies would still have been nearly pristine, consisting mostly of hydrogen and helium, the basic elements that dominated the newborn cosmos.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 2, 2026

Chelsea Brown, 31, and her husband Luke Brown, 32, were out for a walk with their newborn.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

The social worker wondered if Mama and Papa would be willing to care for the newborn baby for a week.

From "Taking Flight: From War Orphan to Star Ballerina" by Michaela DePrince

In Riverside County, newborns can be surrendered at most hospitals and fire stations.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 26, 2026

Since then, she’s had at least 10 patients—mostly younger children, newborns and infants—with measles.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

The draw of Trump accounts is straightforward for families with newborns: Babies born between 2025 and 2028 are eligible for a free $1,000 deposit from the federal government.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 14, 2026

Researchers found that a combination of therapies administered to newborns within three days of birth could permanently eliminate the virus.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

I know Chucha made Mami save all our bellybutton cords from when we were newborns to bury in the backyard.

From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez

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