flesh and blood

American  

noun

1. offspring or relatives.

   one's own flesh and blood.

2. the human body or nature.

   more than flesh and blood can endure.

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flesh and blood Idioms  

1. Human beings, especially with respect to their failings or weaknesses. For example, I can't do everything—I'm only flesh and blood . [c. 1600]

2. one's own flesh and blood . One's blood relatives, kin, as in She can't cut her own flesh and blood out of her will . [c. 1300]

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Etymology

Origin of flesh and blood

First recorded in 1200–50

Example Sentences

We create them even as we ignore that they’re flesh and blood just like us.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 18, 2026

Dude No. 1 will always be Brady, a sixth-round pick now immortalized outside Gillette Stadium with a behemoth bronze statue that’s probably only a tick slower in the 40 than the flesh and blood original.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2025

Often, it's the first time a medical student works with real flesh and blood - an experience that can't be replicated from a textbook.

From BBC • Aug. 30, 2025

Behind the headlines and beyond the numbers, flesh and blood people are cut off from basic necessities, including food, clean water, and medical care.

From Salon • Aug. 3, 2025

This is Zero, in real life, flesh and blood.

From "Warcross" by Marie Lu