blood

noun, often attributive

\ ˈbləd

Definition of blood

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a(1) : the fluid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of a vertebrate animal carrying nourishment and oxygen to and bringing away waste products from all parts of the body

(2) : a comparable fluid of an invertebrate

b : a fluid resembling blood

2 : the shedding of blood also : the taking of life

3a : lifeblood broadly : life

b : human stock or lineage especially : royal lineage a prince of the blood

c : relationship by descent from a common ancestor : kinship

d : persons related through common descent : kindred

e(1) : honorable or high birth or descent

(2) : descent from parents of recognized breed or pedigree

4a : blood regarded as the seat of the emotions : temper

b obsolete : lust

c : a showy foppish man : rake

5 : members of a team, staff, or organization : personnel a company in need of new blood

6 informal : an African American male —used especially among Black people

in one's blood

: ingrained in one's nature : occurring as an innate or seemingly hereditary principle, inclination, or talent with two parents who are painters, art is in her blood

blood

verb

blooded; blooding; bloods

Definition of blood (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to stain or wet with blood

2 archaic : bleed sense 1

3 : to expose (a hunting dog) to sight, scent, or taste of the blood of its prey

4 : to give experience to troops blooded in battle

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about blood

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Examples of blood in a Sentence

Noun The accident victim has already lost a lot of blood. the blood in your veins

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The workers provided blood samples at the time of receiving their first dose and then 21 to 25 days after vaccination. — Jacqueline Howard, CNN, "Single Pfizer vaccine shot provides strong protection for those who've had Covid-19, UK studies suggest," 26 Feb. 2021 Researchers examined blood samples taken from 47 participants in the trial who tested positive for the virus but had no symptoms 71 days after an injection of the vaccine or a placebo. — Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, "J&J one-shot vaccine appears to fare better against worrisome COVID-19 strains than first reported," 24 Feb. 2021 The latest study, which has not yet been published in a scientific journal, analyzed blood samples from people who have had Covid-19. — New York Times, "People Who Have Had Covid Should Get Single Vaccine Dose, Studies Suggest," 19 Feb. 2021 In the second study, antibodies were taken from blood samples of 44 people, and in 21 of them, the antibodies failed to stop the virus. — David Hogberg, Washington Examiner, "Coronavirus vaccines may be less effective against South African strain, studies indicate," 22 Jan. 2021 Sette and his colleagues examined blood samples from 188 adults with COVID-19 cases that ranged from asymptomatic to severe. — Kate Baggaley, Popular Science, "COVID-19 immunity could be long term," 8 Jan. 2021 Pfizer and partner BioNTech SE have tested blood samples from people immunized with its vaccine for its ability to neutralize multiple mutant variants, the spokeswoman said. — Betsy Mckay, WSJ, "New Coronavirus Strain Splits Scientists, as U.K. and Others Act to Curb Spread," 22 Dec. 2020 The blood samples first, analyzed on site, beamed after. — Tade Thompson, Wired, "The Future of Work: ‘ars longa’ by Tade Thompson," 18 Dec. 2020 When volunteers fell ill, Reed scoured blood samples for the microbe causing their illness. — Theresa Machemer, Smithsonian Magazine, "A Brief History of Human Challenge Trials," 16 Dec. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Some COVID-19 patients have been found to have blood oxygen levels below 65%. — Mark Johnson, USA TODAY, "'Something we've never seen before': Scientists still trying to understand baffling, unpredictable coronavirus," 18 May 2020 Some COVID-19 patients have been found to have blood oxygen levels below 65%. — Mark Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, ""Something we've never seen before." Scientists still trying to understand baffling, unpredictable coronavirus," 16 May 2020 Additionally, some research says that dinosaurs were neither warm- or cold-blooded but lived in the space in between, known as mesotherms. — Daisy Hernandez, Popular Mechanics, "Were Dinosaurs Warm-Blooded? Ancient Eggshells Point to 'Yes'," 19 Feb. 2020 White sharks, another winter visitor to Florida waters, are warm blooded, and can handle a wider range of temperatures. — Kimberly Miller, USA TODAY, "Lower number of shark bites off Florida coast may not be good news. Here's why.," 25 Jan. 2020 Connor made up for blooding Girard by scoring seven seconds into Nazem Kadri’s ensuing penalty for interference. — Mike Chambers, The Denver Post, "Kyle Connor’s hat trick lifts Winnipeg to 7-4 victory over the Avalanche," 31 Dec. 2019 Everything suggests Pep can blood some youngsters in midweek and not risk damaging City's European campaign. — SI.com, "Manchester City: The XI That Should Start Against Atalanta," 21 Oct. 2019 Surely, in this time of peak technology, even the purest-blooded of magical teens would suffer a spark of FOMO vis-à-vis the innovations of their nonmagical brethren? — Jason Kehe, Wired, "Harry Potter and the Curse of Technology," 11 Dec. 2019 The Spurs manager is renowned for giving his new signings as long as possible before blooding them into the first team, with Tanguy Ndombele an anomaly during Pochettino's time at the club. — SI.com, "It's Time for Mauricio Pochettino to Ditch Christian Eriksen and Go All in on Giovani Lo Celso," 5 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'blood.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

3 Mar 2021

Cite this Entry

“Blood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blood. Accessed 7 Mar. 2021.

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More Definitions for blood

blood

noun

English Language Learners Definition of blood

: the red liquid that flows through the bodies of people and animals

: members of a team, company, or organization

See the full definition for blood in the English Language Learners Dictionary

blood

noun

\ ˈbləd

Kids Definition of blood

1 : the red fluid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of persons and animals and that brings nourishment and oxygen to and carries away waste products from all parts of the body

2 : relationship through a common ancestor : kinship She is my aunt by marriage, not by blood.

blood

noun, often attributive

\ ˈbləd

Medical Definition of blood

1 : the fluid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of a vertebrate animal carrying nourishment and oxygen to and bringing away waste products from all parts of the body

2 : a fluid of an invertebrate comparable to blood

3 : blood regarded in medieval physiology as one of the four humors and believed to be the seat of the emotions

4 : descent from parents of recognized breed or pedigree

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