birth date: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
Medium-HighFormal, Official
Quick answer
What does “birth date” mean?
The specific day, month, and year on which a person was born.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The specific day, month, and year on which a person was born.
The specific calendar date used for official identification, legal records, and chronological calculation; often synonymous with 'date of birth'.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No major difference in definition. 'Date of birth' (DOB) is somewhat more common than 'birth date' in official British English contexts. Both are fully understood and used interchangeably.
Connotations
Slightly more formal and bureaucratic than 'birthday'. Conveys precision and official record-keeping.
Frequency
Very high frequency in administrative, medical, legal, and online form contexts globally.
Grammar
How to Use “birth date” in a Sentence
[provide/enter/state] + [POSSESSIVE] + birth date[official/exact/incorrect] + birth date + [of + PERSON]Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “birth date” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- To birth-date a document is to affix the date of the subject's birth.
- The registrar will birth-date the certificate officially.
American English
- The system failed to birth-date the entry correctly.
- We need to birth-date these historical figures for the archive.
adverb
British English
- The form must be completed birth-date accurately.
- The records were filed birth-date chronologically.
American English
- List the patients birth-date sequentially.
- The entries are organized birth-date wise.
adjective
British English
- The birth-date verification process is mandatory.
- Please provide birth-date information on the line below.
American English
- The birth-date field on the form was left blank.
- They requested my birth-date details over the phone.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Required on employment forms, contracts, and for identity verification.
Academic
Used in demographic studies, historical biographies, and research questionnaires.
Everyday
Filling out online profiles, signing up for services, sharing with friends for horoscopes.
Technical
A key data field in databases, used in age calculation algorithms and legal documentation.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “birth date”
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “birth date”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “birth date”
- Using 'birthday' when a specific calendar date is required on forms (e.g., 'My birthday is June 5th' is acceptable conversationally, but a form will ask for 'birth date' or 'date of birth').
- Writing the date in the wrong order (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY vs MM/DD/YYYY).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
'Birth date' refers to the specific calendar date (e.g., 15/04/1995). 'Birthday' refers to the annual celebration of that date (e.g., "We celebrate her birthday every April 15th"). In official contexts, 'birth date' or 'date of birth' is preferred.
'Date of birth' (often abbreviated DOB) is slightly more common, especially in British English and on official forms. 'Birth date' is perfectly correct and widely understood, particularly in American English.
Follow the format indicated (e.g., DD/MM/YYYY or MM/DD/YYYY). If no format is shown, using the ISO standard YYYY-MM-DD (e.g., 1995-04-15) is the most unambiguous for international use.
Yes, 'birthdate' is a common variant, especially in less formal writing and online. In highly formal or official documents, 'date of birth' or the two-word 'birth date' may be preferred for maximum clarity.
The specific day, month, and year on which a person was born.
Birth date is usually formal, official in register.
Birth date: in British English it is pronounced /ˈbɜːθ deɪt/, and in American English it is pronounced /ˈbɝːθ deɪt/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Set in stone like a birth date.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
BIRTH DATE: 'Bringing Identity Right To History' – Day And Time Established.
Conceptual Metaphor
A FIXED POINT ON A TIMELINE; A SEED OF IDENTITY FROM WHICH AGE GROWS.
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'birth date' LEAST likely to be used synonymously with 'birthday'?