pregnancy

IPA/ˈpreɡnənsi/
KK[prˈɛɡnənsi]IPA/ˈpreɡnənsi/

pregnancy — noun

  • pregnancysingular
  • pregnanciesplural

1. the condition and time when a woman has a baby developing inside her body before

1.nounC1
Definition

the condition and time when a woman has a baby developing inside her body before birth

Example

During pregnancy, Emma kept crackers by the bed for morning sickness.

collocation: during pregnancy

Nora shared the pregnancy news with her parents after the first scan.

collocation: pregnancy news

Common collocations
  • early pregnancy
  • healthy pregnancy
  • pregnancy test
  • pregnancy symptoms
  • prenatal checkup
Synonyms
  • gestation

    is more formal and often used in medical or biological contexts

  • maternity

    is broader and often points to motherhood, care, or clothing rather than the condition itself

  • gravidity

    is a technical medical term, not an everyday learner word

Grammar Patterns

during pregnancy

in early pregnancy

a healthy pregnancy

first pregnancy

Usage Note

Usually uncountable for the general state or time, as in during pregnancy or early pregnancy. Use a or an with it when you mean one person's particular experience, as in her first pregnancy.

Common Mistakes

My sister is in pregnancy.
My sister is pregnant.
use pregnant after be for a person's condition; pregnancy is the noun for the state or period.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, pregnancy is the normal everyday word for the time when a woman is carrying a baby before birth. Gestation is closer to medical, scientific, or animal-care language, and it often draws attention to physical development over time. Maternity is broader: it can refer to motherhood, services, leave from work, or clothes for pregnant women, so it does not always mean the condition itself. Gravidity is a technical medical word used in charts and specialist discussion. In ordinary English, people say She had a difficult pregnancy. A doctor or textbook is more likely to discuss the length of gestation.

pregnancy ↗gestation ↗maternity ↗gravidity ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • pregnancy test
  • pregnancy symptoms
  • pregnancy care
  • pregnancy scan

Phrases

  • during pregnancy
  • in early pregnancy
  • announce a pregnancy
  • have a healthy pregnancy

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinMiddle EnglishEnglish

Pregnancy was formed in English from pregnant and the noun ending -cy. Pregnant came from Latin praegnans, meaning carrying a child or being before birth, and the noun later developed to name the condition or period before a baby is born.