blood

blood — noun

1. the red fluid inside people and animals that the heart moves around the body so

1.nounA2
Definition

the red fluid inside people and animals that the heart moves around the body so cells get oxygen and food and can remove waste.

Example

Priya pressed a cloth on her knee to stop the blood.

stop the blood

Dark blood marked the snow where the injured fox had run.

blood on a surface

Common collocations
  • lose blood
  • donate blood
  • blood sample
  • blood stain
  • blood loss

Grammar Patterns

lose blood

donate blood

blood on + noun

Usage Note

Usually uncountable when it means the liquid in the body. Common verbs are lose, give, donate, draw, and spill.

Common Mistakes

My finger has much blooding.
My finger is bleeding a lot.
'blood' names the liquid; 'bleeding' names the loss of it.

2. a family link that comes from shared birth or ancestors instead of marriage.

2.nounC2
Definition

a family link that comes from shared birth or ancestors instead of marriage.

Example

The twins are related by blood, not through their adoptive parents.

related by blood

Noa has Korean blood through her mother's family in Busan.

have + nationality + blood

Common collocations
  • related by blood
  • blood relative
  • blood line
  • blood tie
Synonyms
  • kinship

    focuses on family connection in a general or formal way

  • lineage

    stresses the family line across generations

  • ancestry

    focuses more on where a family comes from in the past

Grammar Patterns

related by blood

blood relative

have + nationality + blood

Usage Note

Common in phrases such as by blood and blood relative. Distinguish from noun/1: this sense is about family origin, not the liquid in the body.

Common Mistakes

My uncle is my blood by marriage.
My uncle is related to me by blood.' / 'My aunt is family by marriage.
This sense only covers family ties from birth or shared ancestors.

3. in British informal medical use, blood tests, usually spoken of in the plural as

3.nounC1
Definition

in British informal medical use, blood tests, usually spoken of in the plural as bloods.

Example

The clinic will do Ravi's bloods before the heart scan.

do somebody's bloods

A nurse took Hana's bloods after the fever returned.

take somebody's bloods

Common collocations
  • routine bloods
  • take bloods
  • order bloods
  • bloods come back normal
Synonyms
  • blood tests

    the standard neutral term

  • lab work

    broader and more common in American English because it can include other tests too

Grammar Patterns

do somebody's bloods

take somebody's bloods

bloods come back + adjective

Usage Note

Usually appears as bloods, especially after do, take, order, and come back. Distinguish from noun/1, which names the liquid itself rather than the tests.

Common Mistakes

The doctor checked my blood
The doctor ordered bloods.' / 'The doctor ordered blood tests.
This informal British sense means the tests, not the liquid.
Idioms

bad blood (between A and B)

idiom

Angry or unfriendly feelings between people.

There has been bad blood between the two families for years.

Why is there bad blood between you and your cousin?

be after/out for somebody’s blood

idiom

To be very angry with someone and want to harm them.

After I broke his guitar, he was out for my blood.

The coach was after the player's blood for missing practice.

be/run in your blood

idiom

To be a natural quality that runs in your family.

Music runs in her blood; her whole family plays instruments.

Being a doctor runs in his blood, just like his father.

blood is thicker than water

idiom

Family relationships are more important than any other relationships.

He chose to help his brother because blood is thicker than water.

Even after their fight, she knew blood is thicker than water.

somebody’s blood is up

idiom

Someone is very angry and ready to fight or argue.

When he heard the insult, his blood was up immediately.

Her blood was up after the unfair decision.

blood, sweat and tears

idiom

A lot of hard work and effort.

Building this company took years of blood, sweat and tears.

She put blood, sweat and tears into her art project.

flesh and blood

idiom

A normal human being with physical needs and emotions.

Even superheroes are flesh and blood underneath their costumes.

The pain was too much for flesh and blood to bear.

your (own) flesh and blood

idiom

A person who is related to you, such as a family member.

How could you lie to your own flesh and blood?

He would never abandon his own flesh and blood.

have somebody’s blood on your hands

idiom

To be responsible for someone's death.

The general has the blood of thousands on his hands.

If you drive drunk, you could have blood on your hands.

in cold blood

idiom

In a cruel and deliberate way, without emotion.

The killer shot the victim in cold blood.

They planned the robbery in cold blood.

like getting blood out of/from a stone

idiom

Almost impossible to get or obtain.

Getting him to apologize is like getting blood from a stone.

Trying to get information from her was like getting blood out of a stone.

make somebody’s blood boil

idiom

To make someone extremely angry.

The unfair treatment made my blood boil.

Seeing him cheat makes my blood boil.

make somebody’s blood run cold

idiom

To make someone very frightened or horrified.

The ghost story made my blood run cold.

The sight of the accident made her blood run cold.

new/fresh blood

idiom

New members in a group who bring new ideas and energy.

The company needs fresh blood to stay competitive.

The team brought in new blood to improve performance.

spill (somebody’s) blood

idiom

To kill or injure someone, especially violently.

The soldiers spilled blood in the battle.

No one should spill innocent blood.

spit venom/blood

idiom

To show extreme anger, often by speaking harshly.

She spat venom at her opponent during the debate.

He was so angry he practically spat blood.

stir the blood

idiom

To make someone feel excited or enthusiastic.

The patriotic music stirred the blood of the crowd.

Her speech stirred the blood of the listeners.

sweat blood

idiom

To work extremely hard.

He sweated blood to finish the project on time.

The team sweated blood to win the championship.

blood — verb

Word family

  • bloody
    adjectiveB2
  • bloodstream
    nounB2
  • bloodless
    adjectiveC1
  • bloodshed
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

These words are connected, but they are not interchangeable. Blood is the everyday word for the whole red fluid in the body. Bloodstream means the flow or system that carries that fluid, so medicine enters the bloodstream, not the blood. Plasma is only the pale liquid part of blood, with the cells left out of the focus. Serum is a lab or medical word for the liquid left after blood has formed a clot. Circulation talks about the movement of blood around the body rather than the substance itself. Compare: 'There was blood on the towel,' 'The drug entered her bloodstream,' 'Doctors separated the plasma,' 'The lab tested the serum,' and 'Walking daily improves circulation.'

blood ↗bloodstreamplasma ↗serum ↗circulation ↗

Etymology

GermanicOld EnglishEnglish

Blood comes from Old English blōd. It belongs to an older Germanic word family, and it is related to modern German Blut and Dutch bloed. The basic physical meaning has stayed very stable in English. From the idea of blood shared inside a family line, English later developed figurative uses about ancestry, natural character, and strong emotion.