pregnant

Everyday

1. A woman or female animal is pregnant when a baby (or babies) is growing inside her body before it is born. tree →
2. A pregnant pause is a silence full of meaning, when everyone waits for what comes next. tree →

In the lessons

Everyday life: families say «Mum is pregnant» when a new baby is coming; buses and trains have priority seats for pregnant women. In science, pupils learn that in mammals the baby grows inside the mother; a human pregnancy lasts about nine months, a cat's about two months, an elephant's nearly two years. In stories it signals that a baby is on the way. Phrases: pregnant with twins, get pregnant, a pregnant cat.

Examples

• My aunt is pregnant, and the baby is due in spring. tree →
• Please give your seat to the pregnant lady. tree →
• Our cat is pregnant and will have kittens soon. tree →
• A human baby grows for about nine months while the mother is pregnant. tree →
• Pregnant women should not lift very heavy things. tree →
• There was a pregnant pause before the teacher read out the winner. tree →
• Elephants stay pregnant for almost two years. tree →

Note

Adjective only: «She is pregnant», not «she pregnants». The noun is «pregnancy» (plural pregnancies). Only females can be pregnant. It is polite to let a pregnant person sit; it is not polite to guess that someone is pregnant if they have not told you.