shed blood

Idioms

Also, spill blood. Wound or kill someone, especially violently. For example, It was a bitter fight but fortunately no blood was shed, or A great deal of blood has been spilled in this family feud. Both of these terms allude to causing blood to flow and fall on the ground. The first dates from the 1200s. The variant amplifies the verb spill, which from about 1300 to 1600 by itself meant “slay” or “kill”; it was first recorded about 1125.

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.

"President Zelenskyy represents a nation whose citizens have sacrificed their lives and shed blood for the freedoms they cherish," he wrote on social media.

From Salon • Feb. 28, 2025

Mr Kim reportedly told Mr Li that "the Korean people will never forget the fact that the brave soldiers of the Chinese People's Volunteers shed blood to bring about the war victory".

From BBC • Jul. 27, 2023

“We have shed blood to have freedom in my family.”

From Washington Post • Dec. 4, 2022

“I owe them my vote. They fought hard and shed blood and died so I could be here in 2020 to vote.”

From Seattle Times • Oct. 18, 2020

They would say she hadn’t shed blood but wept it.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

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