baby

- definition

What are red words?

90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing.These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are morefrequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.

Thesaurus

The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.

noun [countable] British English pronunciation: baby

/ˈbeɪbi/

singular	baby
plural	babies

Word sets

1
a very young child who cannot yet talk or walk. A baby who is old enough to walk is a toddler
May I hold the baby?
their new baby daughter
give birth to/have a baby:
I’m hoping to have the baby at home.
be expecting/having a baby (=be pregnant):
She’s expecting a baby in November.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby
1. a.
  [usually before noun] a very young animal
  a baby elephant
  baby seals
  Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby
2
informal the youngest member of a family or other group
At 18, Owen was the baby of the team.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby
3
someone who is behaving in a way that is weak, silly, or not brave
Don’t be such a big baby!
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby
4
informal a project or piece of work that you care about a lot, especially because it was your idea
Steve has always seen the book as his baby.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby
5
spoken used for talking to someone you love, especially to someone you are in a romantic relationship with or to your child
What’s the matter, baby?
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby

phrases

someone’s baby
the person that someone loves or is having a romantic relationship with
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby
this/that baby
mainly American spoken
used for referring to an exciting or interesting vehicle or machine
Let’s take this baby out for a drive.
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby
throw the baby out with the bathwater
to get rid of the good and useful aspects of something without intending to, while you try to get rid of its negative aspects
Thesaurus entry for this meaning of baby

Word sets: baby

talking about a baby

unborn child or foetus medical a baby when it is developing in its mother’s body: There is strong evidence that smoking can affect the unborn child.

newborn a baby who was born very recently

infant a baby who is too young to walk or talk

talking about being pregnant

pregnancy the time when a woman has a baby developing in her body: It was an easy pregnancy. ♦ Maria felt sick throughout her pregnancy.

be having a baby or going to have a baby to be pregnant: She’s having another baby in the autumn.

be expecting (informal) to be pregnant: Did you know that Sarah is expecting?

antenatal used for describing medical care that is given to women who are pregnant: I’ve got an appointment at the antenatal clinic tomorrow.

maternity relating to the period before and just after a baby is born: maternity clothes ♦ six months’ maternity leave

when a baby is born

birth the process of being born

delivery the process of helping a woman with the birth of her baby: an easy delivery ♦ the delivery room

labour the period of giving birth, from the time a woman starts feeling pains until the time the baby is born

contractions or labour pains the pains that a woman feels while giving birth

midwife someone who is trained to help women give birth

caesarean a medical operation to deliver a baby by making a cut in the woman’s stomach

miscarriage the birth of a baby before it has developed enough to stay alive

premature used for describing a baby who is born before the usual time

This is the British English definition of baby. View American English definition of baby.

Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.

showmance

a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series

BuzzWord Article

More BuzzWords

BuzzWord archive

Word of the Day

soapstone

a type of soft stone that is often carved to make decorations

Word of the Day

Open Dictionary

human-readable

able to be read and understood by people

add a word

More submissions

view entries

Blog

A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.

global English and language change from our blog

Did you know?

baby

What are red words?

Thesaurus

Related dictionary definitions

Menu

phrases

someone’s baby

this/that baby

throw the baby out with the bathwater

showmance

Word of the Day

soapstone

human-readable