pregnancy
Americannoun
-
pregnancies
plural
noun
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the state or condition of being pregnant
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the period from conception to childbirth
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The condition of carrying developing offspring within the body.
-
The time period during which this condition exists; gestation.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of pregnancy
First recorded in 1520–30; pregn(ant) 1 + -ancy
Explanation
Pregnancy is the state of being pregnant, the time a woman grows a baby in her belly. For humans, pregnancy lasts about nine months, during which time the mother might want a chocolate chip and pickle sandwich. Get her one. Before a mother bear gives birth to a cub, or a mother cat has kittens, she goes through pregnancy. In humans, pregnancy is a time to prepare for a new baby while the mother-to-be does things like take special vitamins and choose a doctor or midwife to assist with the upcoming birth. Bears and cats just go for it. Pregnancy comes from the Latin praegnans, "with child" or "before birth," from prae-, "before," and gnasci, "be born."
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:
During her pregnancy her mother told midwives that she had tokophobia, a fear of natural birth and wanted a caesarean section.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
‘DWTS’ pro Witney Carson took to social media following Week 3 of Season 35 to address rumors that she wished to be voted off alongside celebrity partner Guillermo Rodriguez because of her pregnancy.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Participants assigned a patient navigator began working with that person near the end of pregnancy and continued receiving support throughout the first year after delivery.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
Four months into her pregnancy, Walker’s teenage son discovered her unresponsive in bed.
From Slate ● Oct. 1, 2026
These are the used sections—broken bones, cuts, bruises, mumps, measles, backache, scarlet fever, diphtheria, rheumatism, female complaints, hernia, and of course everything to do with pregnancy and the birth of children.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Even people who have healthy pregnancies can encounter serious challenges after delivery.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 6, 2026
"We see adolescent pregnancies going through the roof because of child marriage," says Owomuhangi.
From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026
The condition impacts up to 2% of pregnancies in the U.S.
From Salon ● Sep. 13, 2026
The triplets were conceived naturally, Passi said, which happens in only about about one out of 10,000 pregnancies.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 31, 2026
“Half of all pregnancies end in the first few weeks. Most women don’t even know they’d conceived.”
From "Little Fires Everywhere" by Celeste Ng
Definitions 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.
