The words born and borne are practically the same word. Both terms are past participles of the verb bear, they derive from the same Old English word (beran), and they share pronunciations. But when it comes time to write, how we use these terms depends on context, passive voice, or if we use them as adjectives.
According to Garner’s Modern English Usage, writers should only use born “as an adjective or as part of the fixed passive verb ‘to be born’ (Garner 122). More specifically, the word born needs to involve the concept of birth or innate qualities. For example,
“He was born to dance” (passive verb)
“I was born in the state of New York.” (passive verb)
“I am an Oregon-born writer.” (adjective)
“She’s a natural-born singer.” (adjective)
Borne is the standard past participle of the verb bear, so we can use borne for any interpretation that applies (just remember to keep the active voice while describing birth). For example,
The adjective borne only describes something carried or transported by the object it is combined with (via hyphen or closed compound). For example,
“Washing your hands before cooking helps prevent foodborne illness.”
“Springtime sickness is often triggered by pollen-borne allergies.”
“To prevent spreading coronavirus and other airborne diseases, doctors recommend wearing two facemasks.”
“Malaria is an example of an insect-borne illness.”
What does born and borne mean as verbs?
Born and borne are past participles of the verb bear, which we can generally define in five ways:
To carry the weight, support, or responsibility of something.
To endure, withstand, or tolerate something with difficulty.
To carry something (with body or vessel), whether it’s a person, object, name, trait, or conduct.
To produce offspring or fruit (animal or plant).
To change direction (in movement).
Obviously, there’s a lot to work with here, but born and borne are not the only verb forms of bear. We also use the to-infinitive ‘to bear,’ ‘bear’ or ‘bears’ for the present tense, ‘bearing’ for the present participle, and ‘bore’ for the past tense.
How to use bear in a sentence?
Outside of the past participle born, we can use any verb form of bear to discuss any regular meaning of bear. For example,
The only time we use born as a past participle is to discuss birth. Period. Oftentimes, this occurs within passive constructions, but there are times when it occurs without the auxiliary verb ‘to be.’
Active construction with born:
“Zoomers are people born between 1995 and the late 2010s.”
Passive construction with born:
“The late jazz drummer was born on May 11, 1932.”
Quick note on bore
Before we move on, you should know that bore is not just the past tense form of “bear.” Outside of this verb, “bore” is also a noun and verb on its own.
Bore as a verb:
To make a hole or hollow-out: “The teacher’s red pen bored into my essay.”
To push an athletic competitor out of the way: “The champion swimmer erratically bored out his contenders on the diving board.”
To make someone feel very uninterested in something: “The lesson on helping verbs will bore us to tears.”
Bore as a noun:
Something or someone that is boring: “We love learning about suffixes, but modal verbs are such a bore.”
The hollow part of a tube or gun barrel: “That magazine will not empty into a bore like that.”
A borehole: “We need an artesian bore for our water supply.”
A type of steep water wave caused by two gathering tides or a narrow estuary: “A large bore swept through the city’s water canals.”
Additional reading for born vs. borne
If you enjoy learning about homophones like borne vs. born, check out The Word Counter’s lessons on:
“Borne.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., 2021.
Garner, B. “Born; borne.” Garner’s Modern American Usage, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2009, p. 122.
Alanna Madden
Alanna Madden is a freelance writer and editor from Portland, Oregon. Alanna specializes in data and news reporting and enjoys writing about art, culture, and STEM-related topics. I can be found on Linkedin.