flesh and blood
Americannoun
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offspring or relatives.
one's own flesh and blood.
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the human body or nature.
more than flesh and blood can endure.
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Human beings, especially with respect to their failings or weaknesses. For example, I can't do everything—I'm only flesh and blood . [c. 1600]
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one's own flesh and blood . One's blood relatives, kin, as in She can't cut her own flesh and blood out of her will . [c. 1300]
Etymology
Origin of flesh and blood
First recorded in 1200–50
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A machine may be allocated a wide range of quotidian writing tasks, but let flesh and blood hold fast the art of writing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
Does consciousness require flesh and blood to exist?
From Science Daily ● Jun. 24, 2026
Often, it's the first time a medical student works with real flesh and blood - an experience that can't be replicated from a textbook.
From BBC ● Aug. 30, 2025
Behind the headlines and beyond the numbers, flesh and blood people are cut off from basic necessities, including food, clean water, and medical care.
From Salon ● Aug. 3, 2025
Can it be that our Mr Stevens is flesh and blood after all and cannot fully trust himself?'
From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
