vein

noun

\ ˈvān

Definition of vein

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : blood vessel especially : any of the tubular branching vessels that carry blood from the capillaries toward the heart

2a : any of the vascular bundles forming the framework of a leaf

b : any of the thickened cuticular ribs that serve to stiffen the wings of an insect

3a : a narrow water channel in rock or earth or in ice

b(1) : lode sense 2

(2) : a bed of useful mineral matter

c : lode sense 3

4 : something suggesting veins (as in reticulation) specifically : a wavy variegation (as in marble)

5a : a distinctive mode of expression : style stories in a romantic vein

b : a distinctive element or quality : strain introduced a welcome vein of humor

c : a line of thought or action

6a : a special aptitude inherited an artistic vein

b : a usually transitory and casually attained mood

c : top form thou troublest me; I am not in the vein— William Shakespeare

vein

verb

veined; veining; veins

Definition of vein (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to pattern with or as if with veins

Other Words from vein Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More About vein

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of vein in a Sentence

Noun the author goes on in that sarcastic vein for pages

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The game largely takes place in and around a devastated and abandoned village, as well as the surrounding forest, which Kena has to clean and purify of corruption in the vein of similar titles like Super Mario Sunshine or Concrete Genie. — Mitch Wallace, Forbes, 21 Sep. 2021 Outdoor game: Also floated has been the idea of an outdoor game in the vein of Major League Baseball’s successful Field of Dreams game in Dyersville, Iowa, a compelling nostalgic matchup last month of the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. — Ira Winderman, sun-sentinel.com, 18 Sep. 2021 On his Twitter feed, Nayib Bukele, the entrepreneur-turned-president of El Salvador, even dropped short, trumpeting announcements in the vein of Elon Musk. — Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 9 Sep. 2021 These are questions intriguing enough to power TV’s next big sci-fi epic—or even a franchise in the vein of The Walking Dead, though hopefully one more substantive and less repetitive than that intellectual-property behemoth has become. — Judy Berman, Time, 8 Sep. 2021 In the vein of David Bowie and his cosmic alter ego Ziggy Stardust, The Artful Escape follows the inception of protagonist Francis Vendetti’s psychedelic stage persona. — Cecilia D'anastasio, Wired, 8 Sep. 2021 While the book may be masquerading as party-girl literature in the vein of Eve Babitz, its protagonists lack the privilege usually inherent to those stories. — Sangeeta Singh-kurtz, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2021 In the vein of other MCU crossovers, Spider-Man will work closely with another superhero during his latest film. — Quinci Legardye, Harper's BAZAAR, 24 Aug. 2021 Cranley is known as a moderate, even conservative Democrat more in the vein of former President Bill Clinton than New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. — Jessie Balmert, The Enquirer, 11 Aug. 2021 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb Companies are offering marble-look tile in unexpected hues like magenta and green, or with veining in gold or copper. — Washington Post, 13 Nov. 2019 Coming up, says Tien: Parker House rolls veined with scallions and shallots, a riff on Chinese scallion pancakes. — Tom Sietsema, Washington Post, 25 Oct. 2019 Quartzite comes in an array of colors and veining that ranges from subtle to bold. — Jeff Reina, Houston Chronicle, 2 Nov. 2019 Instead, the crust is dense and focaccia-like, its insides veined with olive oil. — Soleil Ho, SFChronicle.com, 3 Oct. 2019 Against an uncharacteristically gray June Parisian sky, veined with fine clouds like marble, Pierpaolo Piccioli, the 52-year-old creative director of Valentino, crouches contemplatively, brow furrowed, chin resting on fist. — Mariano Vivanco; Fashion Editor: Miguel Enamorado, Harper's BAZAAR, 21 Aug. 2019 The border region of Lombardy adopted blue-veined cheese over mozzarella, and substituted rice for the ubiquitous Italian pasta. — Jim Kempton, Orange County Register, 2 Aug. 2019 Kayak through the General Carrera Lake’s Marble Chapels, a network of glacial caves veined with blue striations carved from calcium carbonate by over 6,000 years of water pressure. — National Geographic, 5 July 2019 Taking 579 years and at least 78 chief architects to complete, the cathedral is one of the jewels of Europe; a canal network was created just to transport slabs of its pink-veined marble from Lake Maggiore 50 miles away. — Michael J. Bailey, BostonGlobe.com, 18 June 2019

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

History and Etymology for vein

Noun

Middle English veyne, borrowed from Anglo-French veine, going back to Latin vēna "blood vessel, channel," of obscure origin

Verb

verbal derivative of vein entry 1

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More About vein

Dictionary Entries Near vein

veiltail

vein

veinbanding

Statistics for vein

Last Updated

23 Sep 2021

Cite this Entry

“Vein.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/vein. Accessed 29 Sep. 2021.

Style: MLA

MLA

Chicago

APA

Merriam-Webster Check Mark Icon

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for vein

vein

noun

English Language Learners Definition of vein

: any one of the tubes that carry blood from parts of the body back to the heart

: any one of the thin lines that can be seen on the surface of a leaf or on the wing of an insect

: a long, narrow opening in rock filled with gold, silver, etc.

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

vein

noun

\ ˈvān

Kids Definition of vein

1 : one of the blood vessels that carry the blood back to the heart

2 : a long narrow opening in rock filled with a specific mineral a vein of gold

3 : a streak of different color or texture (as in marble)

4 : a style of expression I continued in a more serious vein.— Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted

5 : one of the bundles of fine tubes that make up the framework of a leaf and carry food, water, and nutrients in the plant

6 : one of the slender parts that stiffen and support the wing of an insect

vein

noun

\ ˈvān

Medical Definition of vein

: any of the tubular branching vessels that carry blood from the capillaries toward the heart and have thinner walls than the arteries and often valves at intervals to prevent reflux of the blood which flows in a steady stream and is in most cases dark-colored due to the presence of reduced hemoglobin