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Meaning & use

blood round

noun·Advancedsportinformal

Last updated

UK/ˈblʌd raʊnd/
US/ˈblʌd raʊnd/

Meanings

  1. nouncountablesportinformal

    In wrestling tournaments, the round in which a wrestler must win to qualify for a medal.

    Grammar: Usually singular with 'the': wrestlers talk about 'making the blood round' or 'winning the blood round'.

    Patterns

    • make the blood round
    • win the blood round
    • lose in the blood round

    He lost his first match but fought back to make the blood round.

    Winning the blood round guarantees you a place on the podium.

    She was one win away from the blood round.

  2. nouncountablefigurativeinformal

    A decisive stage in any competition that determines who continues and who is eliminated.

    Grammar: Used loosely outside wrestling for a make-or-break moment; often with 'the'.

    Patterns

    • reach the blood round
    • survive the blood round

    The group stage is the blood round for smaller clubs.

    Only the strongest teams survived the blood round of the playoffs.

Word forms

pluralblood rounds

Common combinations

make the blood round
He needed one more win to make the blood round.
win the blood round
She won the blood round and secured at least a bronze.
lose in the blood round
He lost in the blood round and finished out of the medals.
reach the blood round
After two upset wins, the rookie reached the blood round.
blood-round match
The blood-round match drew the biggest crowd of the day.

Synonyms and how they differ

qualifier
General and neutral; it names any qualifying stage, not specifically the medal-deciding one in wrestling.
playoff
Used mainly in team sports for the games after the regular season, so it fits other competitions better than wrestling.
knockout stage
Describes any elimination phase; broader and more formal than the wrestling slang 'blood round'.

Word family

blood noun
The red liquid in the body; here it suggests the intense, painful nature of the round.
round noun
One stage of a competition or tournament.

Commonly confused: blood round or blood sport?

blood round vs blood sport

A blood sport is an activity involving killing or injuring animals; 'blood round' is only about a stage in a wrestling tournament.

Practice

In wrestling, what does 'the blood round' refer to?

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