stillbirth

Everyday

A stillbirth is when a baby has died before it is born, late in the mother's pregnancy, so it is born not alive. tree →

In the lessons

A sad word used by doctors, in health lessons and in news and family talk; it tells the reader about loss and grief in a family. People often speak of it gently. Related: stillborn (adjective), miscarriage (when a baby is lost earlier in pregnancy).

Examples

• The family was very sad after the stillbirth of their baby. tree →
• Doctors work hard to make stillbirths rarer. tree →
• Good care for mothers can help prevent stillbirth. tree →
• They planted a tree to remember the baby lost in a stillbirth. tree →
• A stillbirth is a very sad event for any family. tree →

Note

Countable: one stillbirth, several stillbirths. The adjective is «stillborn» (a stillborn baby). «Stillborn» can also describe a plan that fails before it starts (formal). A miscarriage happens earlier in pregnancy. This is a sad, serious word, so use it gently.