transfusion

American  

[trans-fyoo-zhuhn] / trænsˈfju ʒən /

noun

• transfusions
  plural

1. the act or process of transfusing.

2. Medicine/Medical. the direct transferring of blood, plasma, or the like into a blood vessel.

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transfusion British  

/ trænsˈfjuːʒən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of transfusing

2. the injection of blood, blood plasma, etc, into the blood vessels of a patient

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transfusion Scientific  

/ trăns-fyo̅o̅′zhən /

1. The transfer of blood or a component of blood, such as red blood cells, plasma, or platelets, from one person to another to replace losses caused by injury, surgery, or disease. Donated blood products are tested for blood type and certain infectious diseases and stored in blood banks until they are used. The blood of the donor is shown to be histologically compatible, or crossmatched, with that of the recipient before transfusion.

2. See more at Rh factor See Note at blood type

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• transfusions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of transfusion

1570–80; < Latin trānsfūsiōn- (stem of trānsfūsiō ) decanting, intermingling, equivalent to trānsfūs ( us ) ( see transfuse) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

A transfusion is when doctors put blood into a patient's vein. An accident victim might need a transfusion if he's lost blood. Besides accidents, there are other medical conditions that require blood transfusions, such as heart disease and some kinds of surgery. The blood a patient receives during a transfusion usually comes from donations given by healthy people. You can use the noun transfusion for any transfer of liquid, like the pouring of lemonade from a glass pitcher to a plastic one, though it's most often used to describe the medical procedure.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

transfusion transfusions

But this treatment carried a high risk of the boy contracting anaemia, which could require an urgent blood transfusion in order to avoid death.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 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

Suffering from severe anemia and kidney inflammation, Jackie received a life-saving blood transfusion but is still in intensive care.

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

His hand was shaking a little, vibrating as if he were giving Djo a transfusion of energy.

From "Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti" by Frances Temple

The child, the complaint says, required dialysis and blood transfusions and suffered seizures and decreased pancreatic function.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026

After I woke up at the hospital, I needed multiple surgeries, blood transfusions and a partial hysterectomy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 11, 2026

And data analyses by ProPublica showed that sepsis rates and blood transfusions spiked among miscarrying women after the ban went into effect — an indicator of dangerous delays in care across the state.

From Salon ● Apr. 20, 2026

It added that a joint mission between the children's charity Unicef, the World Health Organization and the regional healthcare department had highlighted "the role of unregulated private practices" and "the contribution of unscreened blood transfusions".

From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026

The president received antibiotics to fight possible infection and transfusions to replace his significant blood loss.

From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow