bloodsucker

American  

[bluhd-suhk-er] / ˈblʌdˌsʌk ər /

noun

1. any animal or insect that feeds on blood.

   As bloodsuckers, fleas are capable of spreading many diseases.

2. a mythical creature that feeds on blood, especially a vampire.

   The film delves into the idea of bloodsuckers as outlaws, portraying its vampire characters as outcasts from society.

3. a person who preys on or exploits others.

   If you really want the blackmail to end, you'll have to stand up to the bloodsuckers and refuse to pay.

4. a person who habitually and excessively borrows or lives on money from others.

   Her bloodsucker of a nephew has been draining her savings for years.

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bloodsucker British  

/ ˈblʌdˌsʌkə /

noun

1. an animal that sucks blood, esp a leech or mosquito

2. a person or thing that preys upon another person, esp by extorting money

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Other Word Forms

• bloodsucking adjective

Etymology

Origin of bloodsucker

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English; blood, sucker

Example Sentences

And as mosquito season has lengthened in recent years amid warming temperatures, some of the bloodsuckers now stick around until December in parts of the Southland.

From Los Angeles Times

This frankness means I’m inclined to believe Remmick and his burgeoning cult of bloodsuckers when they swear that the afterlife is the only place where our protagonists can truly be free.

From Los Angeles Times

Dafoe found his inner bloodsucker in this mischievous thriller, playing silent film actor Max Schreck as he gets a little too deep into the title role of the German Expressionist classic “Nosferatu.”

From Los Angeles Times

The evolution of bloodsuckers, no matter how gorey, is worth studying.

From Salon

The bloodsuckers have been booming amid more extreme rainfall patterns and may continue to enjoy pools of standing water in the years to come.

From Los Angeles Times