blue blood

American  

[bloo bluhd, bloo bluhd] / ˈblu ˌblʌd, ˈblu ˈblʌd /

noun

1. an aristocrat, noble, or member of a socially prominent family.

2. aristocratic, noble, or socially prominent lineage or relatives.

   They boasted a lineage of pure blue blood.

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blue blood British  

noun

1. royal or aristocratic descent

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Other Word Forms

• blue-blooded adjective

Etymology

Origin of blue blood

1825–35; translation of Spanish sangre azul. See sanguine, azure

Example Sentences

Long before Cignetti was laying waste to college football’s blue blood programs, his head coaching journey began in 2011 when he was hired by a once-proud Division II program called Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

From The Wall Street Journal

But those blue bloods are now singing the blues after falling in the quarterfinals.

From Los Angeles Times

In the brave new world of college football, blue blood means nothing.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Rose Bowl will match an ultimate upstart program in Indiana against a blue blood in Alabama.

From Los Angeles Times

He also came from Belgium by way of UC Santa Barbara—a far cry from a college hoops blue blood.

From The Wall Street Journal