lifeblood

[ lahyf-bluhd ]
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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.

Origin of lifeblood

1
First recorded in 1580–90; life + blood

Words Nearby lifeblood

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use lifeblood in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for lifeblood

lifeblood

/ (ˈlaɪfˌblʌd) /


noun
  1. the blood, considered as vital to sustain life

  2. the essential or animating force

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012