Meaning & use
blood
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountablebiology
The red liquid pumped by the heart around the body, which carries oxygen and food to every part.
Grammar: No plural or a: lose blood, a drop of blood.
Patterns
- blood from something
- a drop of blood
The nurse took a sample of blood from my arm.
She lost a lot of blood in the accident.
Blood carries oxygen to the muscles.
noununcountablefigurative
Family origin or descent, seen as passed from parents to children.
Grammar: Used for ancestry and family ties: of noble blood, blood relatives.
Patterns
- of royal blood
- related by blood
She is of royal blood, descended from a queen.
They are not friends but brothers by blood.
Blood is thicker than water, as the saying goes.
phraseidiomfigurative
Used in the idiom in cold blood, meaning deliberately and without feeling, especially when committing a crime.
Grammar: Fixed idiom; follows a verb about a harmful act: killed in cold blood.
Patterns
- in cold blood
The victim was killed in cold blood.
He acted in cold blood, with no sign of regret.
They said the attack was done in cold blood.
Common combinations
- blood pressure
- The doctor checked my blood pressure.
- blood test
- I have a blood test tomorrow.
- donate blood
- Many people donate blood every year.
- blood vessel
- A blood vessel burst in his eye.
- new blood
- The club needs new blood to stay lively.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
Commonly confused: blood or bleed?
blood vs bleed
Blood is the noun for the liquid and bleed is the verb for losing it: when you bleed, blood comes out.
Practice
The police said the crime was committed in cold ___.
Choose one answer.
The fixed idiom is in cold blood, meaning deliberately and without emotion. The other forms do not fit the idiom.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “blood”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.