stillbirth

American  

[stil-burth] / ˈstɪlˌbɜrθ /

noun

stillbirths plural

1. the birth of a dead child or organism.

2. a fetus dead at birth.

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stillbirth British  

/ ˈstɪlˌbɜːθ /

noun

1. birth of a dead fetus or baby

2. a stillborn fetus or baby

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stillbirth Cultural  

1. The birth of a fetus that has died; particularly, birth of a fetus that has died in the uterus at a stage in development when an infant could survive on its own if born healthy.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• stillbirths
  plural

Etymology

Origin of stillbirth

First recorded in 1745–55; still ¹ + birth

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

stillbirth stillbirths

Her case, which saw catastrophic failings, led to what was thought to be the largest payout in NHS history for a stillbirth clinical negligence case.

From BBC ● Jun. 16, 2026

She compared the pain she endured to the grief she felt after experiencing a stillbirth.

From Slate ● Jan. 30, 2026

The report authors said that this target had been missed, but that a 36% reduction in stillbirth and neonatal deaths during this time - to 4.84 per 1,000 total births – was still "significant".

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026

She’s twice turned to nonfiction, first for a 2008 memoir of stillbirth and parenthood, now for “A Long Game: Notes on Writing Fiction.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026

Debbie Cook noticed that Marsha Colbey was no longer pregnant but did not have a baby, which stirred her interest in the details of the stillbirth.

From "Just Mercy" by Bryan Stevenson

Online sleuthing leads Evy and Justin to a demonic creature that causes miscarriages and stillbirths: Abyzou, the bitter spirit of an infertile woman who visits chaos upon other pregnancies.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 12, 2026

In 1985, more than three dozen deaths in California — including stillbirths and fetuses lost to miscarriage – were blamed on listeriosis from soft cheeses produced by an Artesia company named Jalisco Mexican Products.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2026

In 2015, the then-Conservative government announced an ambition to halve the rate of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths in England by 2030 – later brought forward to 2025.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2026

It can cause ulcers or sores around the animal's mouth and face, difficulties swallowing and breathing, fever and lameness, foetal deformities and stillbirths.

From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2025

Of eleven live births and two premature stillbirths, only two children were alive at the time of the government agent's visit.

From The Pivot of Civilization by Sanger, Margaret