-
blood transfusion
blood transfusionnounthe injection of blood from one person or animal into the bloodstream of another.
-
transfusion, blood
transfusion, bloodThe injection of blood received from a donor into the bloodstream of another individual having a compatible blood type. A person may need a blood transfusion if a great deal of blood has been lost through surgery or trauma.
blood transfusion
Americannoun
Discover More
If the blood supply is contaminated, diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS can be passed to someone who receives a blood transfusion.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of blood transfusion
First recorded in 1875–80
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:
The next day, the video shows care staff anesthetizing Jackie for the blood transfusion and notes she was stronger and more alert the next day.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
Since then, she’s undergone a battery of tests and even received a live-saving blood transfusion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Waldorf had spelled out the catch-22 in her journal that morning: “If I need a blood transfusion and it stabilizes my condition, they cannot induce. If my temp continues to spike then they can induce.”
From Salon ● May 27, 2026
Medical staff took blood tests and he was admitted for a blood transfusion to address low haemoglobin levels, as well as investigations into his heart murmur.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
Dr. Musoke abandoned his efforts to give his patient a blood transfusion for fear that the patient would bleed to death out of the small hole in his arm.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
![]()
An estimated 10% of U.S. transfusion blood is drained from paid donors by commercial supply houses, which sell the blood for profit.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
The Brigham team weighed the surgeons' discarded sponges to measure the patient's blood loss and thus make sure that he got enough, not too much, transfusion blood.
From Time Magazine Archive
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.