the fluid that circulates in the principal vascular system of human beings and other vertebrates, in humans consisting of plasma in which the red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended.
the vital principle; life.
The excitement had got into the very blood of the nation.
a person or group regarded as a source of energy, vitality, or vigor.
It's time we got some new blood in this company.
one of the four elemental bodily humors of medieval physiology, regarded as causing cheerfulness.
the shedding of blood; slaughter; murder.
to avenge the blood of his father.
the juice or sap of plants.
the blood of the grape.
a person of hot blood.
physical nature of human beings.
the frailty of our blood.
Chiefly British. a high-spirited dandy; an adventuresome youth.
the young bloods of Cambridge.
a profligate or rake.
physical and cultural extraction.
It was a trait that seemed to be in their blood.
royal extraction.
a prince of the blood.
descent from a common ancestor; ancestry; lineage.
related by blood.
recorded and respected ancestry; purebred breeding.
Slang.
a Black person, especially a young Black man.
Hunting. to give (hounds) a first sight or taste of blood.
to stain with blood.
make one's blood boil, to inspire resentment, anger, or indignation.
Such carelessness makes my blood boil.
get / have one's blood up, to become or be enraged or impassioned.
Injustice of any sort always gets my blood up.
have someone's blood on one's head / hands, to be to blame for someone's affliction or death.
Though a criminal, he had no blood on his hands.
make one's blood run cold, to fill with terror; frighten.
The dark, deserted street in that unfamiliar neighborhood made her blood run cold.
sweat blood. sweat.
in cold blood, without pity or mercy; ruthlessly.
The dictator, in cold blood, ordered the execution of all his political enemies.
taste blood, to experience a new sensation, usually a violent or destructive one, and acquire an appetite for it.
Once the team had tasted blood, there was no preventing them from winning by a wide margin.
a reddish fluid in vertebrates that is pumped by the heart through the arteries and veins, supplies tissues with nutrients, oxygen, etc, and removes waste products. It consists of a fluid (see blood plasma ) containing cells (erythrocytes, leucocytes, and platelets)
a similar fluid in such invertebrates as annelids and arthropods
bloodshed, esp when resulting in murder
the guilt or responsibility for killing or injuring (esp in the phrase to have blood on one's hands or head )
life itself; lifeblood
relationship through being of the same family, race, or kind; kinship
informal hard work and concentrated effort
near kindred or kinship, esp that between a parent and child
human nature (esp in the phrase it's more than flesh and blood can stand )
ethnic or national descent
of Spanish blood
as a natural or inherited characteristic or talent
royal or noble descent
a prince of the blood
temperament; disposition; temper
good or pure breeding; pedigree
( as modifier )
blood horses
people viewed as members of a group, esp as an invigorating force (in the phrases new blood, young blood )
rare a dashing young man; dandy; rake
the sensual or carnal nature of man
obsolete one of the four bodily humours See humour
hatred; ill feeling
family duties and loyalty outweigh other ties
to be or cause to be angry or inflamed
showing no passion; deliberately; ruthlessly
to cause to be angry or indignant
to fill with horror
hunting to cause (young hounds) to taste the blood of a freshly killed quarry and so become keen to hunt
hunting to smear the cheeks or forehead of (a person) with the blood of the kill as an initiation in hunting
to initiate (a person) to an activity or organization, esp by real-life experience
The fluid tissue that circulates through the body of a vertebrate animal by the pumping action of the heart. Blood is the transport medium by which oxygen and nutrients are carried to body cells and waste products are picked up for excretion. Blood consists of plasma in which red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets are suspended.
A fluid that is similar in function in many invertebrate animals.
What is a basic definition of blood? Blood is a vital bodily fluid pumped through the veins and arteries by the heart. Blood also refers to people who provide energy, to a tendency a person has, or to a person’s ancestry. The word blood has several other senses as a noun and a few as a verb. Blood is the red fluid that flows through your body. It is made of plasma, white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. Blood carries oxygen and other important nutrients throughout the body. It also carries waste, such as carbon dioxide, to the lungs, kidneys, and liver to be removed. Blood is a major component of the circulatory system, which also includes the heart, veins, arteries, and lymph nodes. The verbs bleed and bled mean to ooze, leak, or exude blood.
First recorded before 1000; Middle English blo(o)d, Old English blōd; cognate with Old Frisian, Old Saxon blōd, Old High German bluot ( German Blut ), Old Norse blōth, Gothic bloth, from Germanic blōdam
Blood most often describes the fluid that circulates through your body — the red stuff that seeps out of your finger if you get a paper cut. Blood can also refer to temperament. If something gets your blood up, that means it makes you angry. You might even get so mad that it feels like your blood boils. You can also use blood to describe a common ancestry. You might have Scottish blood in you — that means some of your ancestors came from Scotland. Blood can also describe family members — you may get frustrated at your brother sometimes but he’s your own flesh and blood.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Carbon-monoxide levels in the blood fall within hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
Weeks before falling severely ill, he consulted the tool about recurring dizzy spells and "bouts of blood pressure instability".
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
TB-500: TB-500 is another peptide primarily used for wound healing, though the FDA noted that it’s marketed for at least 14 other health concerns, like hair loss, blood clots and dry-eye disorder.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
GLP-1 medications like Ozempic are also peptides: they mimic a naturally occurring molecule that regulates appetite, blood sugar and digestion.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
You can’t hate your own brother—your own flesh and blood.
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
"Blood contains relatively high concentrations of glucose, and that's what the nanoparticles are competing against for GLUT1's attention," Oleh Taratula said.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 17, 2026
The actor continued that it was actually a meeting with the “Children of Blood and Bone” author that gave her the confidence to pursue the role.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
Blood tests, AI tools, and GLP-1 drugs are emerging for early detection and prevention of Alzheimer’s and heart disease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 14, 2026
Blood tests were taken and she was told to attend the Teenage Cancer Trust unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff the following day, where she realised the news was serious.
From BBC ● Jun. 9, 2026
Blood rushed to my face, my neck, my ears.
From "Made You Up" by Francesca Zappia
And this one has delivered an epic Final Four of blue bloods who have all proven they can go the distance: France, Spain, England, and Argentina.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 12, 2026
The agency demanded evidence from an “adequate and well-controlled trial” to prove that reducing the protein in patients’ bloods improves patient outcomes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 24, 2026
But those blue bloods are now singing the blues after falling in the quarterfinals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 2, 2026
Each week, Lesley, their paediatric oncology outreach nurse specialist, visits them to check their bloods.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2024
Now came the suitors, young bloods trooping in to their own seats on thrones or easy chairs.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Triceratops was likely not fully warm blooded, but these structures may still have played an important role in controlling temperature and retaining moisture.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 22, 2026
Some deep-sea fish, such as tuna and lamnid sharks, a family of large and speedy sharks, are partially warm blooded; they can divert body heat to specific organs even in icy temps.
From Science Magazine ● May 10, 2023
“Because they’re cold blooded animals, they regulate their body temperature as best they can based on the environment,” he said.
From New York Times ● Aug. 15, 2022
Species of warm- blooded animals, for example, tend to have larger bodies in the cooler climates closer to the earth’s poles, allowing them to better conserve heat.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Now they had been blooded, she did not speak to them like schoolgirls.
From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan
The north London club have retained their core of international players, while blooding youngsters last season and allowing others to gain experience from loan spells.
From BBC ● Sep. 16, 2021
In the meantime, Dave Sarachan has been operating as interim head coach and dutifully going about blooding a series of young players in some tough friendlies.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 11, 2018
But he says Rodgers has been "brave" for blooding the likes of Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2013
And for this match at the Kennington Oval, a desperate England were blooding eight new internationals, including a 17-year-old whelp, James Prinsep.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 11, 2011
Not worth the money; they are not blooding.
From Sentimental Tommy The Story of His Boyhood by Barrie, J. M. (James Matthew)
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.
