blood

play

noun, often attributive \ˈbləd\

Definition of blood

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 invertebrateb : a fluid resembling blood
2 : the shedding of blood; also : the taking of life
3a : lifeblood; broadly : lifeb : human stock or lineage; especially : royal lineage a prince of the bloodc : relationship by descent from a common ancestor : kinshipd : persons related through common descent : kindrede (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 : temperb obsolete : lustc : a showy foppish man : rake
5 : members of a team, staff, or organization : personnel a company in need of new blood
6 : a black 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

See blood defined for English-language learners

See blood defined for kids

Examples of blood in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of blood from the Web

No matter that fraud and bad blood often increase after polling day.

— The Economist, "Make monitors matter," 20 July 2017
During the national anthem, Pienaar bit his lip so hard that blood trickled down his chin.

— matt giles, longreads.com, "Remembering Nelson Mandela’s Contribution to Sports," 19 July 2017
Surprisingly though, despite the constant feeling of danger, the film is free from gore or even much blood (it’s only rated PG-13).

— cary darling, star-telegram, "‘Dunkirk’ isn’t your average war film, but it is the most explosive movie of the summer," 19 July 2017
When officers arrived, Speck Mellencamp had blood on his face and would not provide investigators any information about his injuries, police said.

— justin l. mack, The Courier-Journal, "John Mellencamp's son, Speck, arrested in Bloomington," 17 July 2017
Surveying the situation, the opposition Labour Party smells blood.

— robert hutton, Bloomberg.com, "Britain's Brexit Chaos Leaves EU Friends and Foes Bemused," 14 July 2017
Severe side effects — raging fever, crashing blood pressure, lung congestion — nearly killed her.

— denise grady, New York Times, "F.D.A. Panel Recommends Approval for Gene-Altering Leukemia Treatment," 12 July 2017
Great white sharks strike seals and then wait for their victims to die of catastrophic blood loss.

— brian switek, Scientific American Blog Network, "Nothing but the Tooth," 10 July 2017
Blood spurts out of the man's hand for an extended length of time, causing the main characters to freak out (this seems to go on forever too).

— ben sachs, Chicago Reader, "Comedy / Film The House can’t save Will Ferrell from himself," 10 July 2017

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.

Origin and Etymology of blood

Middle English, from Old English blōd; akin to Old High German bluot blood

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

Other Anatomy Terms

bilateral symmetry, carotid, cartilage, dorsal, entrails, prehensile, renal, solar plexus, supine, thoracic, ventral

blood

verb

Definition of blood

transitive verb
1 : to stain or wet with blood
2 archaic : bleed 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

First Known Use of blood

1590

BLOOD Defined for English Language Learners

blood

play

noun

Definition of blood for English Language Learners

: the red liquid that flows through the bodies of people and animals
: members of a team, company, or organization

BLOOD Defined for Kids

blood

play

noun \ˈbləd\

Definition of blood for Students

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.

blooded

\ˈbləd-əd\ adjective

Medical Dictionary

blood

play

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