- 1 a very young child or animal The baby's crying! a newborn baby My sister's expecting a baby (= she is pregnant). She had a baby last year. a baby boy/girl baby food/clothes a baby monkey/blackbird CollocationsChildrenHaving a baby/child want a baby/a child/kids start a family conceive/be expecting/be going to have a baby/child miss your period become/get/be/find out that you are pregnant have a baby/a child/kids/a son/a daughter/twins/a family have a normal/a difficult/an unwanted pregnancy; an easy/a difficult/a home birth be in/go into/induce labour (especially US English) labor have/suffer/cause a miscarriage give birth to a child/baby/daughter/son/twinsParenting bring up/ (especially North American English) raise a child/family care for/ (especially British English) look after a baby/child/kid change (British English) a nappy/(North American English) a diaper/a baby feed/breastfeed/bottle-feed a baby be entitled to/go on maternity/paternity leave go back/return to work after maternity leave need/find/get a babysitter/good quality affordable childcare balance/combine work and childcare/child-rearing/family life educate/teach/home-school a child/kid punish/discipline/spoil a child/kid adopt a baby/child/kid offer a baby for/put a baby up for adoption (especially British English) foster a child/kid be placed with/be raised by foster parents Wordfinderbabybaby, birth, child, dummy, feed, incubator, nappy, pram, premature, teethe Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivenew, newborn, tiny, … verb + babyhave, want, conceive, … baby + verbbe due, arrive, be born, … baby + nounboy, girl, brother, … phrasessleep like a baby See full entry See related entries: Youth, Babies
- 2(informal) the youngest member of a family or group He's the baby of the team.
- 3(disapproving) a person who behaves like a young child and is easily upset Stop crying and don't be such a baby.
- 4(slang, especially North American English) a word used to address somebody, especially your wife, husband or lover, in a way that expresses affection but that can be offensive if used by a man to a woman he does not know Word Originlate Middle English: probably imitative of an infant's first attempts at speech.Extra examples Babies drool a lot when they are teething. Babies nurse more at night in the first three weeks. Can you take the baby while I unlock the door? Could you take the baby? I need to bring in the washing. Darling, I just want to stay with you and make babies! He took an interest in the growing baby even before it was born. He was so tired after all his exertions, he slept like a baby. I could feel the baby moving inside me. I didn’t use baby talk with my children, but used proper words right from the start. I want to have a baby. She decided to put her baby up for adoption. She lost her baby three months into her pregnancy. She lost her baby= had a miscarriage three months into her pregnancy. She rocked the baby to sleep in her arms. She’s expecting a baby in July. She’s not sure if she wants a baby. She’s not sure yet how many babies she’s carrying. Smoking in pregnancy increases the risk of producing a low birthweight baby. The baby cooed happily on the rug. The baby is due in October. The baby needed burping after every bottle. The baby needs changing again= needs a clean nappy/diaper. The baby was delivered by a midwife. The doctor said the baby was growing nicely. Their first baby arrived exactly nine months after the wedding. They named the baby Charlie. They would like to adopt a newborn baby. You can start weaning your baby when it’s four months old. You should change your baby about six times a day. the hospital’s baby unit After some months, the baby learns to walk along branches by holding onto its mother’s fur. Come on baby, let’s dance! He just broke down and cried like a baby. Judith has had a baby girl. She’s a midwife in an intensive care unit for premature babies. The illness is common in newborn babies and is easily treated. What do you call a baby kangaroo? I could hear my baby crying. My sister’s expecting a baby.Idioms
(informal) to be a plan or project that somebody is responsible for and cares about because they have created it
(informal) used to emphasize how easy it is to do something I thought it was going to be difficult to get funding for the project, but in the end it was like taking candy from a baby.
(informal) to suddenly make somebody responsible for something important that is really your responsibility He changed to another job and we were left holding the baby.
(informal) to sleep very well
(informal) to lose something that you want at the same time as you are trying to get rid of something that you do not want
Check pronunciation: baby
