bloodsucking

American  

[bluhd-suhk-ing] / ˈblʌdˌsʌk ɪŋ /

adjective

1. being or relating to an animal or mythical being that feeds on blood.

   Bloodsucking insects are common in this part of the world.

   In the film, bloodsucking aliens descend on a small town.

2. being or relating to a person or organization who preys on, exploits, or takes advantage of others.

   He denounced his rival politicians as bloodsucking fraudsters living large on their constituents' money.

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Etymology

Origin of bloodsucking

First recorded in 1545–55; blood ( def. ) + suck ( def. ) + -ing ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

I asked whether Dafoe thought a movie about a bloodsucking, diseased creature and the horror he unleashes on a 19th Century German town was the perfect antidote to a day of family festivities.

From BBC • Dec. 31, 2024

“Because somehow a bloodsucking vampire is more permissible than a dress,” she quips.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 20, 2024

Ticks are small, eight-legged bloodsucking parasites — arachnids, not insects — that feed on animals and sometimes people.

From Seattle Times • May 17, 2024

Scientists worry these wetlands are incubating disease-transmitting mosquitoes and other bloodsucking insects, populations of which could explode next spring, Yuryshynets says.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 3, 2024

And when I came up to the cage to see these ugly bloodsucking creatures, I had to look right into this little kid’s face that had a smirk on it.

From "The Pigman" by Paul Zindel