birther

1 of 2

noun

birth·er ˈbər-thər

variants or less commonly Birther

plural birthers also Birthers

: a person who adheres to birtherism

birther

2 of 2

adjective

: of or relating to birthers or birtherism

birther beliefs

the birther movement

Examples of birther in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Noun

Questions and conspiracies about Harris’ parents’ heritage have proliferated online as well, in a similar vein to the untrue birther conspiracy that plagued former President Barack Obama for years. —David Gilbert, WIRED, 8 July 2024

His latest false birther claims to Baier are another racist dog whistle in a history of such language. —Sarah Beth Hensley, ABC News, 22 Jan. 2024 As Mexico is roiled by a 'birther' crisis, 'Claudia the Mexican' fights back Mexico’s rapid progress on gender equality is rooted in its transition from an authoritarian state to a multiparty democracy. —David Agren, Washington Post, 7 Sep. 2023 To what extent did women and birthers believed these forces shaped their births and pregnancies. —Allison Yarrow, ELLE, 24 July 2023 The Rise and Life of a True African Scholar Reuters, April 13, Fact Check-Obama’s father’s passport circulates online and reignites ‘birther’ conspiracy Thank you for supporting our journalism. —Nate Trela, USA TODAY, 18 Apr. 2023 The body knows what to do, and interventions—like electronic monitoring, vaginal exams, labor induction, episiotomy, and epidurals—impede birth from unfolding as nature intends, a free birther would argue. —Rebecca Grant, Marie Claire, 9 June 2021 Every last one of @realdonaldtrump’s 47,000 tweets vanished from the site in an instant, from the birther lies and election conspiracy theories to the 2016 taco bowl tweet. —Michael Luca, Wired, 20 Jan. 2021 The thinking seems to be that one conspiracy theory engenders another, so that one conspiracist (a birther) will generate new conspiracies (Bin Laden isn't dead!). —Chris Mooney, Discover Magazine, 2 May 2011

Adjective

It could even be said that Trump had facilitated his transition from TV reality show star (The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice) to bona fide political candidate by exploiting the birther myth. —Ron Elving, NPR, 14 Sep. 2024 This is the guy who was the – the birther candidate. —ABC News, 19 May 2024 The origins of the birther allegations against Haley appear to be a recent Substack post by pro-Trump lawyer Paul Ingrassia, who graduated from Cornell Law School in 2022. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2024 Donald Trump, the front-runner in the Republican Party, helped push this birther movement for years, including well into his presidency. —Adrienne Mahsa Varkiani, The New Republic, 25 July 2023 Trump's birther accusations — against both Obama and Harris — suggested his Democratic opponents as foreign to America in spirit, if not in constitutional truth. —Joel Mathis, The Week, 25 Apr. 2022 To understand why some Black men would be drawn to a president who has expressed racist sentiments, stoked white grievances for political gain and was the political face of the birther lie against America’s first Black president, is to grapple with the complexity of the Black experience. —Nick Corasaniti, New York Times, 31 Oct. 2020 But as Obama’s presidency moved forward, a birther movement largely sponsored and fueled by Donald Trump gathered national attention. —Arkansas Online, 11 Oct. 2020 No, Clinton didn't start the birther thing. —Sudiksha Kochi, USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2011

Word History

Etymology

Noun

birth entry 1 + -er entry 2

Adjective

from attributive use of birther entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

2006, in the meaning defined above

Adjective

2008, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of birther was in 2006

See more words from the same year

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birthdom

birther

birtherism

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Style

“Birther.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/birther. Accessed 3 Apr. 2025.

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birther

noun

adjective

Examples of birther in a Sentence

Word History

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birther

noun

adjective

Examples of birther in a Sentence

Word History

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