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

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

Dr Anne Kelly, paediatric transfusion and components clinical expert for NHSBT, said IUTs were very rare, donors were carefully selected and extra safety measures were applied, because patients were "particularly vulnerable".

From BBC ● Apr. 21, 2026

Despite her doctor's concerns, Jones, who now works in insurance and has left the religion, survived without the transfusion.

From BBC ● Apr. 12, 2026

As he spoke, he was dipping into his bag and producing the instruments for transfusion; I had taken off my coat and rolled up my shirt-sleeve.

From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker

He spent nine days on a ventilator and 18 days on dialysis, during which time doctors gave him blood, platelet and plasma transfusions.

From Salon ● Jun. 22, 2026

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

In email listservs, longevity startup founders join enthusiasts to debate matters from young-blood transfusions to the latest popular supplements.

From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026

They used hybrids to create the first monoclonal antibodies, special proteins later used to create cancer therapies like Herceptin, and to identify the blood groups that increased the safety of transfusions.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot