born
born — verb
1. to begin life by leaving your mother's body.
to begin life by leaving your mother's body.
Noa was born in a small hospital near Tainan on a rainy Sunday.
be born in + place / on + day
Twins were born two months early, but both babies grew stronger each week.
be born + time expression
A calf was born before dawn, and the farmer called the vet at once.
The baby was born safely just after midnight at the village clinic.
- come into the world
gentler and more literary than the usual wording
- arrive
informal and often playful when talking about a baby
- die
the opposite life event
文法句型
be born + place/time
be born + adverb
用法筆記
Almost always used with a form of 'be'. Time and place often follow it, as in 'born in Taipei' or 'born in May'. Distinguish from sense 2, which gives background or condition rather than the birth event itself.
常見錯誤
2. to have life begin in the family, place, order, or condition that is mentioned.
to have life begin in the family, place, order, or condition that is mentioned.
Leila was born into a family of bakers in Tainan.
born into + family/background
Hiro was born blind, yet he became a skilled piano tuner.
born + adjective
Ines was born before her three brothers and often cared for them.
Farouk was born in Brazil but raised in Taiwan after age three.
文法句型
be born into + family/class
be born + adjective
be born first/second/third
用法筆記
Common after prepositions such as 'into' and with adjectives like 'blind' or 'deaf'. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 1 tells you that the birth happened, while this sense tells you what situation the person began life in.
常見錯誤
3. if an idea, plan, group, or feeling is born, it first takes shape.
if an idea, plan, group, or feeling is born, it first takes shape.
The plan for the night market was born during a long train ride.
idea + be born during + event
A new dance group was born when three neighbours started meeting every Friday.
group + be born when + action
Aiko's love of maps was born during train trips with her aunt.
The idea was born in class after the students built a paper bridge.
- begin
plain and neutral; less vivid than 'be born'
- arise
slightly more formal; often used for situations or problems
- take shape
stresses gradual development from an early stage
- end
to stop existing
文法句型
idea/plan/group + be born
be born during/in + event
用法筆記
Used for things that do not literally have a birth, especially ideas, projects, movements, and feelings. It often points to the moment or situation where the new thing first appeared.
常見錯誤
4. to be formed because of a particular feeling, event, need, or experience.
to be formed because of a particular feeling, event, need, or experience.
The family's silence was born of fear after the police car stopped outside.
born of + emotion
The village festival was born from a small school concert twenty years ago.
born from + earlier event
Much of her patience was born of caring for two sick parents.
The law was born out of public anger after the bridge collapsed.
- come from
more general and less literary
- grow out of
stresses development from an earlier situation
- spring from
more formal; suggests a clear source
文法句型
be born of + feeling/situation
be born from/out of + event
用法筆記
Usually followed by 'of', 'from', or 'out of' to name the source. Distinguish from sense 3: sense 3 focuses on the first appearance of something new, while this sense stresses the cause behind it.
常見錯誤
born — adjective
1. having a skill or strong liking that seems to be there from the beginning of lif
having a skill or strong liking that seems to be there from the beginning of life.
Bao fixed the radio in minutes; he is a born engineer.
a born + noun
Wren is a born teacher, and even shy children trust her quickly.
When music filled the room, Nadia looked like a born dancer.
The puppy is a born hunter and notices every bird in the garden.
- gifted
focuses on strong talent, often learned about through performance
- natural
informal; often means someone does something well without much effort
- instinctive
stresses action that seems guided by instinct rather than training
- untalented
lacking natural ability
- unskilled
broader; may simply mean not trained yet
文法句型
a born + noun
born to + verb
用法筆記
Most often used in patterns such as 'a born leader' and 'born to sing'. It usually praises a natural ability, though it can also describe a strong natural liking, as in 'a born traveller'.
常見錯誤
born — suffix
1. added to another word to form an adjective showing where, in what order, or in w
added to another word to form an adjective showing where, in what order, or in what condition someone was born, as in 'foreign-born' or 'first-born'.
The museum hired a Taiwan-born designer for the lantern show.
place + -born
Their home-born puppy still sleeps beside the kitchen door each night.
state/place + -born in compounds
The article praised two foreign-born chefs who opened shops in Chiayi.
A first-born daughter often carried extra duties in that family.
文法句型
place/order/state + -born -> adjective
用法筆記
Usually written with a hyphen before the noun it describes, especially in modern edited English: 'foreign-born workers', 'first-born son'. It is mainly used in compounds rather than as a separate word.