What does lifeblood mean?
Lifeblood literally means the blood that sustains life, but it is much more common in figurative use. It refers to the person, resource, institution, activity, or quality that gives something its essential vitality and enables it to continue functioning. For example, a community may describe local volunteers as its lifeblood, while a business may regard cash flow as its lifeblood. The word conveys a stronger idea than simply being useful: it suggests that without the thing named, the larger body would weaken, change fundamentally, or cease to exist. Although the phrase can sound dramatic or traditional, it is common in journalism, public speaking, organizational writing, and everyday conversation. The expression is especially frequent with words such as organization, community, economy, and industry.
The blood that sustains physical life.
"The snake's venom spread through the victim's lifeblood."
This literal sense is relatively uncommon compared with the figurative meaning.
The essential source of vitality, energy, or continued existence.
"Trust is the lifeblood of a lasting friendship."
This is the dominant modern use, especially in the phrase 'the lifeblood of'.
Usually treated as an uncountable singular noun; the plural 'lifebloods' is rare and appears mainly when referring to separate sources of vitality.
"The magazine treated independent bookshops as the lifebloods of the local literary scene."
A lifeblood is what keeps a person, community, or organization alive when everything else is stripped away.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does lifeblood come from?
The word combines life and blood, two Old English words that were already closely associated in expressions describing physical vitality. The compound appears in English in the early modern period, initially in literal and medical contexts before developing its modern figurative sense. Its underlying life-related vocabulary ultimately reflects the Latin root vivere, 'to live,' as seen in words such as vital, vitality, and vivify.
How lifeblood is actually used
Usually figurative and often used in the phrase 'the lifeblood of' to emphasize an indispensable source of strength, continuity, or economic activity. It can sound emphatic or literary in formal writing and is uncommon as a literal medical term.
Easily confused with lifeblood
A lifeline is a line or resource that saves or sustains someone in a dangerous or difficult situation, whereas lifeblood is the essential source of vitality or life.