cerebrospinal fluid

noun

: a colorless liquid that is comparable to serum, is secreted from the blood into the lateral ventricles of the brain, and serves chiefly to maintain uniform pressure within the brain and spinal cord

Examples of cerebrospinal fluid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a sport like boxing, that alone can have devastating effects even without reaching the extremes of serious loss of water, which can lead to heat strokes or, as with Farrell, bleeding on the brain because of the lack of cerebrospinal fluid. — Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026

But he was diagnosed in May 2025 with normal pressure hydrocephalus, which is a condition in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain, according to the Cleveland Clinic. — Corky Siemaszko, NBC news, 10 Sep. 2026

The 77-year-old musician revealed in May 2025 that he had been diagnosed with normal pressure hydrocephalus, in which cerebrospinal fluid builds up inside the skull and presses on the brain. — Pat Saperstein, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026

Diagnosis involves testing cerebrospinal fluid obtained through a spinal tap; specialized laboratory testing may be needed. — Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1828, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cerebrospinal fluid

• druid
• superfluid

Kids Definition

cerebrospinal fluid

noun

ce·​re·​bro·​spi·​nal fluid

sə-ˌrē-brō-ˌspīn-ᵊl-

: a colorless fluid that occupies the cavities of the brain and spinal cord and the space between these and the membranes surrounding them

Medical Definition

cerebrospinal fluid

noun

: a liquid that is comparable to serum but contains less dissolved material, that is secreted from the blood into the lateral ventricles of the brain by the choroid plexus, circulates through the ventricles to the spaces between the meninges about the brain and spinal cord, and is resorbed into the blood through the subarachnoid sinuses, and that serves chiefly to maintain uniform pressure within the brain and spinal cord

called also spinal fluid

compare lymph