surrogacy

American  

[sur-uh-guh-see, suhr‑] / ˈsɜr ə gə si, ˈsʌr‑ /

noun

surrogacies plural

1. the state of being a surrogate or surrogate mother.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• surrogacies
  plural

Etymology

Origin of surrogacy

First recorded in 1810–20

Explanation

Surrogacy is the act of taking the place of another person, particularly by agreeing to give birth to a baby on behalf of someone else. Along with adoption, surrogacy is one of the ways people who can't become pregnant and carry a baby themselves are able to become parents. A surrogate is paid to fill the pregnancy role, and after the birth, the child is raised by the person or couple who hired the surrogate. The Latin root of surrogacy is surrogatus, "put in another's place."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

surrogacy surrogacies

"Thankfully, I managed to freeze my eggs but I can't now carry a baby, so if I do decide to have children I will have to go down the surrogacy route," she says.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

Merz on Friday said he saw "no need to change" Germany's ban on surrogacy or his party's clear opposition to it.

From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026

Other EU countries including France, Spain and Italy also ban surrogacy, which involves a woman carrying a baby and giving birth on behalf of parents unable to have children themselves.

From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026

I have identical-twin sons, born when I was 51, through surrogacy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

It began when two married men asked Judge Marlon Weiss to issue a pre-birth order acknowledging them as the lawful parents of a child who was about to be born via surrogacy.

From Slate ● May 13, 2026

In high-demand states like California, they receive more money, as do those who have had previous successful surrogacies and who are willing to take on higher-risk pregnancies, such as carrying twins.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 28, 2025

Besides expenses related to pregnancy terminations, Mastercard will also cover surrogacies, adoption services, vasectomies and access to contraception, the memo said.

From Reuters ● May 18, 2022

The agency that Emma and Svetlana are using is small - it is currently managing nine surrogacies - but Ukraine's biggest agency currently has 500 surrogates at different stages of pregnancy.

From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2022

A week later, we finally got the news: in future, foreigners caught organising surrogacies in Thailand would face 10 years in prison, but any current arrangements could go ahead; those involved would not face charges.

From The Guardian ● Aug. 28, 2020

When governments began imposing travel bans, no one foresaw the consequences for families created with the help of surrogates, said Nidhi Desai, a Chicago lawyer who specializes in international adoptions and surrogacies.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 16, 2020