Meanings
plural birthright citizens
- A person who obtains citizenship through birthright citizenship, who otherwise would not have qualified for citizenship.
“As a birthright citizen myself, born to an immigrant mother not yet naturalized at the time, the fight to preserve birthright citizenship is a personal one,” Raoul said.
2025 June 5, “ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL, STATE ATTORNEYS GENERAL CONTINUE FIGHT TO DEFEND BIRTHRIGHT CITIZENSHIP”, in Office of the Illinois Attorney General, archived from the original on 07 Sep 20251 more example
The rub is I was born to immigrants who were not yet legal residents. That makes me a birthright citizen under the 14th Amendment. […] So, maybe this ire for birthright citizens like me is about how much of a drain we are on government services and the economy.
2025 July 4, O. Ricardo Pimentel, “Who deserves to be a U.S. citizen?”, in Wisconsin Examiner, archived from the original on 11 Dec 2025
Origin
Back-formation from birthright citizenship.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
birthright citizen. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birthright%20citizen
“birthright citizen.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birthright%20citizen. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “birthright citizen,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/birthright%20citizen.
Source: birthright citizen on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.