birther

plural birthers · alternative Birther

1. rareOne who gives birth.

   […] she couldn't be an "easy birther."

   1951, Erico Verissimo, Time and the Wind, volume 2, page 583

   1 more example

   Liz Buttle, Britain's oldest birther, lied about not taking fertility drugs and didn't conceive her 2-month-old boy in the usual way as she insisted.

   1998 January 22, “Paper Disputes Claims of Oldest Brit to Deliver”, in Philadelphia Inquirer, archived from the original on 19 Jan 2012, page C2

   Synonyms: woman in labor, woman in labour

2. USderogatoryslanggovernmentA believer in the conspiracy theory that Barack Obama, 44th president of the United States (2009–2017), is not a natural-born US citizen, and was therefore ineligible for the presidency under the United States Constitution (Article II, Section 1).

   Senator Dick Durbin has suggested that the birthers and the health care protesters are one and the same; we don’t know how many of the protesters are birthers, but it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a substantial fraction.

   2009 August 7, Paul Krugman, “The Town Hall Mob”, in New York Times

   2 more examples

   I confess I do have some sympathy for the "birthers," though. As an outsider, it's hard to distinguish between the zany arguments that get official approval by the conservative establishment --- things like Bill Ayers, Michelle Obama's infamous "whitey" tape, the claim that Obama is a closet Marxist --- and those arguments that are considered beyond the pale.

   2008 December 8, Jay Bookman, “Shut up about the birth certificate”, in Atlanta Journal-Constitution, archived from the original on 19 Jan 2012

   Earlier this month, columnist and birther Frank Gaffney, Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., the ranking Republican on the Intelligence Committee, and others held a news conference on Capitol Hill to release a report on Muslim religious law entitled "Shariah: The Threat to America."

   2010 September 29, Mark Benjamin, “What Islamophobia really threatens”, in Salon, archived from the original on 02 Oct 2010

3. USderogatoryslanggovernmentMore generally, anyone who questions the eligibility of a candidate for office based on their citizenship status.

   [see title]

   2020 August 13, Franco Ordoñez, “Trump and His Campaign Amplify Birther Conspiracy Against Kamala Harris”, in NPR

   1 more example

   On Thursday, he started floating a new birther lie about Sen. Kamala Harris, who, if elected, would be the first Black and Asian American vice president.

   2020 August 13, Daniel Dale, Holmes Lybrand, Tara Subramaniam, CNN

present singular third person birthers · participle present birthering · participle past birthered · past birthered · alternative Birther

1. USderogatoryslanggovernmentTo question the eligibility of a candidate for office or the location of one's birth.