give birth

give birth — idiom

1. The physical process in which a pregnant person or female animal brings a newbor

1.慣用語及物 / 不及物B1
釋義

The physical process in which a pregnant person or female animal brings a newborn infant or young creature out from inside their body into the world.

例句

A stray cat gave birth to three kittens under the back porch.

animal subject + give birth to [young animal]

Mira gave birth to her second child at a clinic in the mountains of Nepal.

human subject + place/location pattern

同義詞
  • deliver

    More clinical or medical register; focuses on the doctor or midwife's role in assisting the birth

  • have a baby

    Softer, everyday phrase that does not specifically describe the physical delivery moment

  • bring into the world

    More formal or literary tone; often used to describe the parents' overall experience

反義詞
  • miscarry

    Refers to losing a pregnancy before the baby can survive outside the womb

文法句型

give birth to [baby/offspring]

give birth

用法筆記

This sense applies to both humans and animals. For humans the register is neutral; for animals it is the standard term. The transitive pattern with 'to' ('give birth to a baby') is more common than the bare intransitive ('give birth').

常見錯誤

❌She made birth to a beautiful baby.
✅She gave birth to a beautiful baby.
💡The correct collocation is 'give birth', not 'make birth'. The verb 'give' is fixed in this expression.
❌She was given birth in 1990.
✅She gave birth in 1990.' (if she is the mother) or ✅ 'She was born in 1990.' (if she is the child).
💡'Give birth' describes the mother's action, not the child's. For the child's perspective, use 'be born'.