Definitions

birth defect

NOUN

congenital abnormality

Synonyms

WEAK

abnormality congenital anomaly congenital defect congenital malformation deformity disability mutation

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

birth defect

She agreed to terminate the pregnancy if a serious birth defect were discovered and the parents requested an abortion.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

Congenital heart disease is the most common birth defect, affecting about 1 in 100 babies born each year.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

The serious birth defect affects one in 3,000 UK babies each year.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

Mr. Rodríguez Castro, known as “El Cangrejo”—the crab—because of a birth defect, never finished school.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 22, 2026

I’m always going to be the sister of a kid with a birth defect: that’s not the issue.

From "Wonder" by R. J. Palacio