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.
Leukemia is a cancer of the blood that begins in the bone marrow, which varies based on the type of blood cell affected and the stage of the disease.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
Carbon-monoxide levels in the blood fall within hours.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
The 12-hour procedure was to resolve an arteriovenous malformation, which is an abnormal tangle of blood vessels that causes seizures and can be fatal.
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
“Maybe you’re right. And it is in Marlene’s blood, that is for sure,” Mutti conceded.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Blood in the stool is an important colorectal cancer warning sign, particularly when it appears more than once.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 22, 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 was also seeping from the Italian's shoe during a must-win fourth set, which he later explained was caused by a problematic toenail.
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 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
“How sensible of your mother to name you for the Princesses of the Royal Blood, the daughters of the Queen. It gives you something to live up to.”
From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck
"We want it to be made mandatory that when someone arrives at the mortuary then bloods should be taken," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
"It should be standard practice that bloods are taken and preserved because, by that not happening, our family has been left with no answers as to what caused Katie's death."
From BBC ● Jun. 14, 2026
Miami falls into an awkward middle ground that the blue bloods often avoid.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 2, 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
Now came the suitors, young bloods trooping in to their own seats on thrones or easy chairs.
From "The Odyssey" by Homer
Toxoplasma gondii is a potentially dangerous parasite that infects warm blooded animals.
From Science Daily ● Feb. 16, 2026
Steve Borthwick blooded five new players and a lot could have gone wrong, but there were some good individual performances in the 27-24 win.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2024
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
To Estha—steeped in the smell of old roses, blooded on memories of a broken man—the fact that something so fragile, so unbearably tender had survived, had been allowed to exist, was a miracle.
From "The God of Small Things" by Arundhati Roy
Phelan is now faced with the tricky task of blooding new recruits without upsetting the players who have served him so well thus far.
From The Guardian ● Sep. 9, 2016
Beyond that it is hard to avoid the feeling the breeding and blooding of talent is an issue, on many fronts, in an absorbing but alarmingly profligate top tier.
From The Guardian ● Jan. 21, 2016
Italy, because they are blooding quite a few youngsters in the Six Nations, and they do not have a consistent enough goal kicker to capitalise on the good work of their forwards.
From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2015
But he says Rodgers has been "brave" for blooding the likes of Raheem Sterling and Andre Wisdom.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2013
They were relieved that night, this short spell being designed as a sort of introduction or breaking in or blooding to the game.
From Between the Lines by Cable, Boyd
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.
