lifeblood

[lahyf-bluhd]

See more synonyms for lifeblood on Thesaurus.com

noun

the blood, considered as essential to maintain life: to spill one's lifeblood in war.
a life-giving, vital, or animating element: Agriculture is the lifeblood of the country.

Origin of lifeblood

First recorded in 1580–90; life + blood

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for lifeblood

Contemporary Examples

This is the heart of the agent recruitment process that is the lifeblood of CIA today.
CIA Agents Assess: How Real Is ‘Homeland’?
Chuck Cogan, John MacGaffin
December 15, 2014
This is because immigrants are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy.
How Immigrants Will Save Social Security
Eleanor Clift
November 29, 2014
ISTANBUL, Turkey — The lifeblood of the death-dealing Islamic State is diesel fuel.
Is NATO Ally Turkey Tacitly Fueling the ISIS War Machine?
Thomas Seibert
September 8, 2014
Negotiation and compromise are the lifeblood of democracy, not poison to the body politic.
Border Kids Crisis—Impotent Congress
John Avlon
July 10, 2014
As an evangelical, that sort of contrarianism is in my lifeblood.
I’m a Christian, and Ken Ham Doesn’t Speak for Me
Brad Kramer
February 5, 2014

Historical Examples

One reference each of "lifeblood" and "life-blood" were retained.
Red Cap Tales
Samuel Rutherford Crockett
The curse impels her to attack him, to seek to drain his lifeblood.
The Supernatural in Modern English Fiction
Dorothy Scarborough
And it was as if Dworn's own lifeblood had been drained and his own heart had stopped beating.
World of the Drone
Robert Abernathy
Not while my hands are free, my body quick With lifeblood, and my heart a man's.
Virginia, A Tragedy
Marion Forster Gilmore
Business was crippled; industry was squeezed dry of its lifeblood.
Readings in Money and Banking
Chester Arthur Phillips

British Dictionary definitions for lifeblood

lifeblood

noun

the blood, considered as vital to sustain life
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

Word Origin and History for lifeblood

n.

also life-blood, 1580s, "blood necessary for life," from life (n.) + blood (n.). Figurative and transferred use is from 1590s.

lifeblood

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}lifeblood

Examples from the Web for lifeblood

Contemporary Examples

This is the heart of the agent recruitment process that is the lifeblood of CIA today.

This is because immigrants are the lifeblood of the U.S. economy.

ISTANBUL, Turkey — The lifeblood of the death-dealing Islamic State is diesel fuel.

Negotiation and compromise are the lifeblood of democracy, not poison to the body politic.

As an evangelical, that sort of contrarianism is in my lifeblood.

Historical Examples

One reference each of "lifeblood" and "life-blood" were retained.

The curse impels her to attack him, to seek to drain his lifeblood.

And it was as if Dworn's own lifeblood had been drained and his own heart had stopped beating.

Not while my hands are free, my body quick With lifeblood, and my heart a man's.

Business was crippled; industry was squeezed dry of its lifeblood.

lifeblood

Word Origin and History for lifeblood

n.

Origin of lifeblood