English

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Pronunciation

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  • Audio (US):(file)

Verb

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fall pregnant (third-person singular simple present falls pregnant, present participle falling pregnant, simple past fell pregnant, past participle fallen pregnant)

  1. (intransitive, formal or literary) To become pregnant.
    Synonyms: get pregnant, get into trouble
    We were delighted when I fell pregnant with my first son.

Usage notes

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  • This term is now sometimes frowned upon, because the use of fall is now seen as turning pregnancy into an activity solely involving the woman and freeing the man from responsibility. See also this analysis of the word's etymology.

Translations

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