lifeblood

noun

life·​blood ˈlīf-ˈbləd How to pronounce lifeblood (audio)
-ˌbləd
Synonyms of lifebloodnext
1
: blood regarded as the seat of vitality
2
: a vital or life-giving force or component
freedom of inquiry is the lifeblood of a university

Examples of lifeblood in a Sentence

The town's lifeblood has always been its fishing industry. The neighborhoods are the lifeblood of this city. the lifeblood that flows through his veins
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Diesel is the lifeblood of the food supply chain, fueling trucks and ships. — Max Zahn, ABC News, 10 June 2026 Cash flow is the lifeblood of small business; because many don’t have access to fast financing, a cash shortfall can really hurt. — Vlad Rusz, Forbes.com, 9 June 2026 Maxwell Bowman’s projection and video design are sharply on point, with clean and clear swipes and transitions that are the lifeblood of any live production. — David John Chávez, Mercury News, 29 May 2026 The main target is infrastructure related to oil, the lifeblood of the Russian economy. — Joanna Kakissis, NPR, 27 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for lifeblood

Word History

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of lifeblood was in 1579

Rhymes for lifeblood

See All Rhymes for lifeblood

Browse Nearby Words

life belt
lifeblood
lifeboat
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Lifeblood.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lifeblood. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

lifeblood

noun
life·​blood ˈlīf-ˈbləd How to pronounce lifeblood (audio)
: something that gives strength and energy

More from Merriam-Webster on lifeblood

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for lifeblood

Nglish: Translation of lifeblood for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All