stillbirth

noun

still·​birth ˈstil-ˌbərth How to pronounce stillbirth (audio)
-ˈbərth
: the birth of a dead fetus

Examples of stillbirth in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web For unvaccinated people who are pregnant, measles infection can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight. David Higgins, The Conversation, 1 Mar. 2024 Pregnant women are also at risk, with high lead exposure levels resulting in miscarriage, stillbirth, premature birth and low birth weight. Unicef Usa, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 Of those cases, 231 resulted in stillbirth and 51 led to infant death. Catherine Sweeney, NPR, 26 Feb. 2024 Earlier this month Kate Cox, 31, sued the state of Texas for her right to terminate a pregnancy which, if forced to proceed, was likely to end in a stillbirth and cause damage to Cox’s future fertility. Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 14 Dec. 2023 The nation and states often exclude women who have stillbirths from paid leave. Elizabeth Schulze, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2023 Listeria infection in pregnant individuals can lead to miscarriages and stillbirths, the CDC said. Mira Cheng, CNN, 12 Feb. 2024 Among pregnant women, listeria can cause a miscarriage or stillbirth. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 10 Feb. 2024 There’s a local mine polluting the water, skyrocketing stillbirths, a bar fight where a drunk says the town wouldn’t even exist without the mine. Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 11 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stillbirth.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of stillbirth was in 1880

Dictionary Entries Near stillbirth

Cite this Entry

“Stillbirth.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stillbirth. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

stillbirth

noun
still·​birth ˈstil-ˌbərth How to pronounce stillbirth (audio)
-ˈbərth
: the birth of a dead baby

Medical Definition

stillbirth

noun
: the birth of a dead fetus compare live birth

More from Merriam-Webster on stillbirth

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!