birthplace
gb/bˈɚθplˌeɪs/ us/bˈɚθplˌeɪs/
B1
English
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B1
entity
1
place where someone was born
The place where you were born.
Usage pattern:
[someone]'s birthplace; birthplace: [place]
Common mistake:
Do not confuse birthplace (where you were born) with hometown (where you grew up or live).
Synonyms
place of birth (A common phrase with the same meaning.)
|
native place (Often emphasizes a person's original home area, sometimes broader than the exact birth location.)
|
natal place (More formal and less common in everyday speech.)
Antonyms
deathplace (The place where someone died, not where they were born.)
Collocations
his birthplace
|her birthplace
|their birthplace
|birthplace town
|birthplace city
|birthplace country
|official birthplace
|return to your birthplace
|visit your birthplace
|record someone's birthplace
Themes
people
|identity
|geography
|biography
Examples
- Her birthplace is listed as Nairobi on her passport application.
- He returned to his birthplace for the first time in thirty years.
- They built a small museum near the writer’s birthplace.
Learner examples
- My birthplace is Toronto.
- What is your birthplace?
Noun
B2
entity
2
place where something began
The place where something started.
Usage pattern:
the birthplace of [something]
Common mistake:
This meaning is often figurative; it does not mean something was literally born there.
Synonyms
origin (More general; not necessarily a place.)
|
cradle (A figurative synonym that strongly suggests the early nurturing of a culture or movement.)
|
source (Emphasizes where something comes from; can be abstract or physical.)
Collocations
the birthplace of democracy
|the birthplace of jazz
|the birthplace of the movement
|considered the birthplace of
|widely seen as the birthplace of
|the birthplace of the modern era
|the birthplace of the internet
|the birthplace of a new idea
|the birthplace of innovation
|the birthplace of a revolution
Themes
history
|culture
|society
Examples
- The city is often described as the birthplace of modern theater.
- Many people see the region as the birthplace of the independence movement.
- The lab became the birthplace of several groundbreaking inventions.
Learner examples
- Athens is called the birthplace of democracy.
- This town was the birthplace of the festival.
Grammar
Dictionary form
birthplace
IPA
GB/bˈɚθplˌeɪs/
US/bˈɚθplˌeɪs/
Syllables & stress
birth - place (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (birth)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: birthplace
- Plural: birthplaces
Word family
Expressions
the birthplace of [something]
1/ðə bˈɚθplˌeɪs əv sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
origin place of something
Used to say a place is where something started.
Examples
- Liverpool is often called the birthplace of British pop music.
- The neighborhood became the birthplace of a new street style.
- The university was the birthplace of the research project.