birth mother

noun

: the mother of a child when the child is born

specifically : a woman who gave birth to a child who has been adopted

They had turned to an open adoption after pursuing infertility treatments for 18 years, and the birth mother had agreed to relinquish custody at the hospital.

—Emily Nussbaum

Examples of birth mother in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Prosecutors investigating the neglect case later found evidence that supported the 2003 birth date, including Natalia Grace’s birth mother, meaning Natalia Grace was only 10 years old when she was left to live on her own. —Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 24 Mar. 2025

Shay Ball – Dani After Dark Dani After Dark – A socially anxious slow jams radio host navigates her adoptive mother’s dementia diagnosis, the surprise return of her birth mother, and the overall uncertainty of new adulthood in a pre-tech, late 90s version of the San Francisco Bay Area. —Dessi Gomez, Deadline, 6 Mar. 2025

Later, prosecutors investigating the neglect case found evidence that supported Natalia Grace’s original 2003 birth date, including Natalia Grace’s birth mother. —Lissete Lanuza Sáenz, StyleCaster, 19 Mar. 2025

Attempts to reach Caroline’s birth mother on Monday were unsuccessful. —Elizabeth Chuck, NBC News, 25 Feb. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1906, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for birth mother

• another
• godmother
• grandmother
• stepbrother
• stepmother
• brother
• nother
• other
• smother
• souther

Legal Definition

birth mother

noun

birth moth·​er

: the woman who gave birth to a child especially as distinguished from the child's adoptive mother