blood relative
noun
US
: someone who has the same parents or ancestors as another person
Your sister is your blood relative, but your brother-in-law is not.
Examples of blood relative in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Only blood relations can pass their crest on, and Ser Arlan is no blood relative of Dunk’s.
—
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
But Murry was never kind to the one member of the band who was not a blood relative.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2025
Because losing him is akin to losing a blood relative, a close friend.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
About one in every 10 people with melanoma has a close blood relative who had the disease.6
A family history of melanoma can result from having similar light hair or skin, which makes one vulnerable to sunburns.
—Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 9 July 2025
Oh, the gravity of caring for another, blood relative or not.
—Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
And your blood relative, your actual cousin, may see her friend as part of the family.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 30 July 2024
Having a first-degree blood relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer almost doubles a woman’s risk, and having two first-degree relatives with breast cancer increases her risk by about 3-fold.
—Clare Dougherty, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2024
While that designation would have been fine in her native Slovenia, in the U.K., a blood relative cannot serve as a witness.
—Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026
But Murry was never kind to the one member of the band who was not a blood relative.
—Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2025
Because losing him is akin to losing a blood relative, a close friend.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
About one in every 10 people with melanoma has a close blood relative who had the disease.6
A family history of melanoma can result from having similar light hair or skin, which makes one vulnerable to sunburns.
—Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 9 July 2025
Oh, the gravity of caring for another, blood relative or not.
—Pitchfork, 3 Dec. 2024
And your blood relative, your actual cousin, may see her friend as part of the family.
—Eric Thomas, Sun Sentinel, 30 July 2024
Having a first-degree blood relative (mother, sister, or daughter) with breast cancer almost doubles a woman’s risk, and having two first-degree relatives with breast cancer increases her risk by about 3-fold.
—Clare Dougherty, Baltimore Sun, 17 May 2024
While that designation would have been fine in her native Slovenia, in the U.K., a blood relative cannot serve as a witness.
—Kaitlin Menza, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Blood relative.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/blood%20relative. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
