crack baby

noun

: an infant subjected to prolonged exposure to crack cocaine in the mother's womb

Examples of crack baby in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web With all this in mind the crack baby epidemic was a case of moral panic rooted in plausible biological concerns. Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 22 July 2013 There were lots of headlines about pregnant addicts and crack babies. Washington Post, 12 Apr. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'crack baby.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of crack baby was in 1986

Dictionary Entries Near crack baby

Cite this Entry

“Crack baby.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/crack%20baby. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Medical Definition

crack baby

noun
: an infant subjected to prolonged exposure to crack cocaine in the mother's womb
"Crack babies" are afflicted by their mothers' addiction, but research indicates those children are not significantly more difficult to rear or educate than children exposed to other addictive substances such as tobacco, alcohol and other drugs.Wes Hasden, The Chattanooga (Tennessee) Times Free Press
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