English Reference
Noun

miscarriage

n. C / U
C1 Advanced US /mɪˈskɛɹədʒ/ UK /mɪskˈæɹɪdʒ/ mis·car·riage UK spelling miscarriages Medicine

n.the natural loss of a pregnancy before the baby is developed enough to survive outside the mother. It is a medical event that happens early in a pregnancy.

n.the spontaneous expulsion of a human foetus from the womb before it is viable. Often used in the phrase 'miscarriage of justice' to describe a failure of the court system.


SIMPLE

She was very sad after her miscarriage.

CONTEXTUAL

The doctor explained that a miscarriage often happens because the pregnancy is not developing normally.

Usage

Countable when referring to a specific event; uncountable when discussing the medical phenomenon in general.

Pitfall
she had a miscarriage of her babyshe had a miscarriage

The word 'miscarriage' already implies the loss of a pregnancy; adding 'of her baby' is redundant.

Usage miscarriage of justice

After marriage and the heartbreak of repeated miscarriages, Trawally returned to the Kanyeleng tradition she had grown up watching.

Al Jazeera· 14 Aug 2026

Following her own miscarriage, Flynn said she had "very vivid memories" of attending appointments at the Regional Fertility Clinic.

BBC News· 30 Jul 2026

From mis- + carriage.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Frequent
Updated