Definition of childbearingnext
as in childbirth
the act or process of giving birth to children in olden days many women died in childbearing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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childbearing

2 of 2

adjective

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of childbearing
Noun
But Steinem lived to see the rise of a powerful backlash against her vision of feminism, with reproductive rights, motherhood, childbearing and gender roles once again at the center of the country's culture wars. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026 Not least because the hips—or rather, a wide pelvis—are considered a symbol of femininity, fertility, and childbearing capacity, both from a cultural-historical and an evolutionary-biology perspective. — Kelly Niesen, Glamour, 24 July 2026 In fact, for millennia the role of mothers has included not only childbearing and education but also protection over the community as a whole, especially through advocacy for peace. — Marie-Claire Beaulieu, The Conversation, 5 May 2026 Poor women’s childbearing, particularly among Black and immigrant populations, was increasingly portrayed as a driver of intergenerational poverty and social disorder. — Sonya Borrero, STAT, 1 May 2026 Though some countries have tried to slow or reverse the trend through pro-natal policies—including cash incentives and tax breaks for childbearing, affordable childcare, and longer parental leaves—their long-term success has not been definitively proved so far. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 6 Apr. 2026 Around the eleventh century, in Anglo‑Saxon England, instructions for an elaborate childbearing and mothering ritual were recorded by monks in the Lacnunga, a collection of medical texts and curative prayers. — Literary Hub, 18 Mar. 2026 Cleghorn notes that many Minoan women died between the ages of twenty and twenty-five, indicating that childbearing was most likely the cause of death. — Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2026 Women past childbearing years often see OB-GYNs less frequently. — Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 13 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Egg freezing, formally called oocyte preservation, is one of the clearest ways to extend a woman’s childbearing years. — Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 11 Aug. 2026 In the United Kingdom, there is a midwife assigned to every childbearing individual, regardless of the risk status of the pregnancy. — Deanna Taylor, USA Today, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for childbearing
Noun
  • Contraception is critical to helping adolescent girls avoid unintended pregnancies and the risks of childbirth, particularly given Africa’s high maternal mortality rates, experts say.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The 44-year-old also thanked her medical team, while mentioning a challenging childbirth experience.
    — Anna Halkidis, Parents, 29 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • Risks vary with gestational age, a patient's medical history, the procedure performed and the circumstances of the pregnancy.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The procedure is banned in 13 states while others either have certain gestational limits or no limits, according to the organization.
    — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 2 Oct. 2026
Adjective
  • Surrounding the young star is a disk of gas and dust known as a protoplanetary disk that serves as a prenatal envelope in which two planets, WISPIT 2b and WISPIT 2c, are forming.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • These changes may begin before birth due to genetic factors and prenatal complications and can be influenced by adverse childhood experiences and lifestyle factors.
    — Heidi Moawad, Verywell Health, 26 Sep. 2026
Adjective
  • It is also recommended for all pregnant people between 32 and 36 weeks' gestation.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The manufacturer warns they should not be used on high-risk populations such as children, pregnant women or disabled people.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Childbearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/childbearing. Accessed 12 Oct. 2026.

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