Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

blood feud

American  

noun

  1. feud.

blood feud British  

noun

  1. a feud in which the members of hostile families or clans murder each other

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of blood feud

First recorded in 1855–60

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.

There’s the thrill of a War-of-the-Roses-style blood feud running at social-media velocity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 6, 2025

Architectural photographer Ryan Tsui, 49, described his 13-year advocacy as a "blood feud" he could not let go.

From Barron's • Dec. 2, 2025

She said the word vendetta referred to "vengeance, feud and blood feud" and that Reeves' comments had made her and her family feel unsafe.

From BBC • Oct. 2, 2025

After speaking with Tommy, Ellie decides to abandon her blood feud and return to Jackson.

From Salon • May 26, 2025

Long ago, before the days of King Argaven I, who made Karhide one kingdom, there was a blood feud between the Domain of Stok and the Domain of Estre in Kerm Land.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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.