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

Etymology

Origin of newborn

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

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

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

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026

Planets can then grow from material left over around the newborn star, gradually gathering matter and shaping paths through the surrounding disk.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 17, 2026

Even though she was more than a month old, she weighed only about as much as a newborn, according to the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026

And then if you have more than one child, you may well be managing that defiant toddler while simultaneously experiencing the hormone crash, the sleeplessness, the bobble-headed feeling of the newborn period all over again.

From Slate ● Sep. 5, 2026

And definitely not from when they were a newborn.

From "P.S. I Miss You" by Jen Petro-Roy

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

It tells the stories of some of the 250,000 women who were forced to hand over their newborns for adoption between 1949 and 1976.

From BBC ● Aug. 30, 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

The team examined 225 newborns, including 100 boys and 125 girls.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026

I’d helped Pop bring dozens of newborns into the world.

From "An Ember in the Ashes" by Sabaa Tahir