What does "born" mean?

1. (coming into the world) to come out of your mother's body at the start of your life. 2. (natural talent) having a certain quality or ability from the moment you are born.

How do you use "born"?

Almost always used in the passive voice with the verb 'to be'. Usually placed before the noun it describes.

born — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I was borned in 1995."?

No — say "I was born in 1995.". The word 'born' is already a past form; do not add '-ed' to it.

Word

Infinitive

born

Past

bornt

Past participle

bornt

01coming into the world

A1 · Beginner

v. to come out of your mother's body at the start of your life.

v. the past participle of 'bear' used almost exclusively in the passive voice to denote the beginning of life.

“The twin sisters were born on a very cold day in January.”

“He was born into a family of musicians, which meant he was surrounded by classical performances from his earliest infancy.”

Usage

Almost always used in the passive voice with the verb 'to be'.

Pitfall

I was borned in 1995.

I was born in 1995.

The word 'born' is already a past form; do not add '-ed' to it.

Antonyms

died

02natural talent

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. having a certain quality or ability from the moment you are born.

adj. possessing a specific quality, character, or talent innately or by nature.

“She is a born leader who always knows how to help the team.”

“The coach quickly realized that the young striker was a born athlete, possessing a level of coordination that usually takes years to develop.”

Usage

Usually placed before the noun it describes.

Synonyms

innate natural instinctive

Antonyms

learned acquired

“Born in London in 1934, Goodall must have told her life story thousands of times, yet she did so with generosity and poise—and, often, impish humor.”

The Atlantic 2 Oct 2025