blood poisoning

American

noun

Pathology.

invasion of the blood by toxic matter or microorganisms, characterized by chills, sweating, fever, and prostration; toxemia; septicemia; pyemia.

blood poisoning British

noun

a nontechnical term for septicaemia

"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

blood poisoning Scientific

See toxemia

Etymology

Origin of blood poisoning

First recorded in 1860–65

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

blood poisoning

But, in small number of cases, exposure can trigger invasive meningitis which leads to blood poisoning and brain inflammation.

From BBC ● Mar. 18, 2026

The bacterium Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most common pathogens worldwide, which can cause severe bloodstream infections -- also called sepsis or blood poisoning.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 18, 2024

She died later that night, Francois said, likely from sepsis, or blood poisoning by bacteria.

From Seattle Times ● Dec. 25, 2023

If sepsis, or blood poisoning, occurs, the liver filters out more than 90 percent of the foreign material involved.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 28, 2023

"I know what blood poisoning is, Katniss," says Peeta.

From "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023