preg ‧ nant S3 /ˈpreɡnənt/ BrE AmE adjective
[ Date: 1400-1500 ; Language: Latin ; Origin: praegnans , from praegnas , from prae- ( ⇨ ↑ pre- ) + gnatus 'born' ]
1 . if a woman or female animal is pregnant, she has an unborn baby growing inside her body ⇨ pregnancy :
medical care for pregnant women
I knew right away that I was pregnant.
I thought I was too old to get pregnant.
twenty weeks/three months etc pregnant
She’s about five months pregnant.
pregnant with
Maria was pregnant with her second child.
I didn’t mean to get her pregnant (=make her pregnant) .
His wife was heavily pregnant (=almost ready to give birth) .
2 . pregnant pause/silence a pause or silence which is full of meaning or emotion:
He stopped, and there was a pregnant pause.
3 . pregnant with something formal containing a lot of a quality:
Every phrase in this poem is pregnant with meaning.
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ become pregnant
Sally became pregnant, and gave birth to a baby son.
▪ get pregnant informal (=become pregnant)
She got pregnant when she was sixteen.
▪ get somebody pregnant (=make a woman pregnant, usually without planning to)
At least he didn't get you pregnant.
■ adverbs
▪ twelve weeks pregnant/two months pregnant etc
The doctor said that she was eight weeks pregnant.
▪ heavily pregnant (=having almost reached the time when you will give birth)
I saw at once that the woman was heavily pregnant.