bloodshot
Americanadjective
adjective
Etymology
Origin of bloodshot
1545–55; apocopated variant of blood-shotten. See blood, shotten
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.
"So we came out in the night hours, we went to the bush. There's a mountain up there, we slept there," said the 31-year-old, his eyes bloodshot.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Locals loved the story about the one-eyed New York man who had a special bloodshot glass eyeball made, so that when he came to L.A. on business, his fake eye matched his real one.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 26, 2026
He glowers out from beneath his brows, unsmiling, eyes rendered oddly bloodshot, brow furrowed, chin tucked in, as if he is about to head-butt the camera.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 25, 2023
While bloodshot eyes can look alarming, experts say, viral pink eye isn’t usually anything to worry about on its own, and Arcturus is not showing signs of being more dangerous than previous variants.
From Scientific American ● May 12, 2023
Her pulse slowed, her eyes grew bloodshot, her skin took on the pale-yellow color that gave the disease its name.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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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.