lifeblood

[lahyf-bluhd]

noun

1. the blood, considered as essential to maintain life.

   to spill one's lifeblood in war.

2. a life-giving, vital, or animating element.

   Agriculture is the lifeblood of the country.

lifeblood

/ ˈlaɪfˌblʌd /

noun

1. the blood, considered as vital to sustain life

2. the essential or animating force

Word History and Origins

Origin of lifeblood¹

First recorded in 1580–90; life + blood

Example Sentences

Love triangles are the lifeblood of teen dramas.

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The lifeblood of social media platforms is engagement, and rage is a reliable driver.

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"Freedom of navigation is the lifeblood of all of our economies."

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Innovation—the lifeblood of battlefield advantage—shrank to a handful of very expensive weapons.

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In practice, this meant backing a quixotic bid for president by a now-forgotten opposition lawmaker, while at the same imposing a harsh set of economic sanctions on Venezuela’s oil industry, the lifeblood of the economy.

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Related Words

• aspect 
• basis 
• bottom line 
• character 
• core 
• crux 
• element 
• meaning 
• nature 
• principle 
• quality 
• reality 
• root 
• soul 
• spirit 
• structure 
• substance