transfusion

American  

[trans-fyoo-zhuhn] / trænsˈfyu ʒən /

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of transfusion

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

Example Sentences

At one point since the crash, Vonn said, she received a blood transfusion to raise her hemoglobin levels.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 23, 2026

On Wednesday, authorities in central state of Madhya Pradesh said five children with thalassemia, aged three to 15, have tested positive for HIV, prompting concerns over blood transfusion practices.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

“I got my blood transfusion when I married my wife.”

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 18, 2025

Among those experts was Donald Jenkins, a former Air Force surgeon who has championed the idea of whole-blood transfusion in the field, and whose South Texas program was one of the first in the nation.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025

The coffee burned into him, a dark transfusion that awakened him to his own desire to leave this house and set his eyes on long curves and highway signs.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy