flesh and blood

noun

: corporeal nature as composed of flesh and of blood

: near kindred

—used chiefly in the phrase one's own flesh and blood

: substance, reality

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web To them -- that’s their flesh and blood. —

Kathleen Foody And Aaron Morrison, Chron, 25 June 2021 To them — that’s their flesh and blood. —

Dallas News, 25 June 2021 To them – that’s their flesh and blood. —

Amy Forliti And Steve Karnowski, The Christian Science Monitor, 25 June 2021 Hard and soft ALife run the opposite problem of being too far removed from flesh and blood. —

Shi En Kim, Scientific American, 6 Apr. 2023 This one is endowed with flesh and blood. —

April White, Smithsonian Magazine, 24 May 2022 Both are creatures of flesh and blood. —

Francis X. Maier, WSJ, 6 Jan. 2022 In one, the body of a man in camouflage uniform lies rigid in a snowy field, with mangled flesh and blood where his face used to be. —

James Marson And Matthew Luxmoore, WSJ, 1 Mar. 2022 How did Vazirdaftari made sure that Roya – whose hardships are often gender based – was flesh and blood? —

Anna Tatarska, Variety, 6 Sep. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'flesh and blood.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of flesh and blood was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Flesh and blood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/flesh%20and%20blood. Accessed 5 Jun. 2023.

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