draw blood

verb

To wound one's opponent in such a way that they bleed.

“to draw first blood”

OriginMiddle English drawe blood →
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Meanings

verbdraw blood (third-person singular simple present draws blood, present participle drawing blood, simple past drew blood, past participle drawn blood)

present singular third person draws blood · participle present drawing blood · past drew blood · participle past drawn blood

  1. To wound one's opponent in such a way that they bleed.

    to draw first blood

  2. figurativelyTo have an injurious effect; to strike home, as a barb or insult.

    He lacked the art of wounding with the sword, and in any case his critics charged that he shrank from steel; but his invective was worthy of Demosthenes and his words drew blood.

    1966, Stringfellow Barr, The Mask of Jove

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
pink

Origin

  1. Middle Englishdrawe blood
  2. Englishdraw blood

From Middle English drawe blood.

More words from Middle English

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

draw blood. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/draw%20blood

MLA

“draw blood.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/draw%20blood. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “draw blood,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/draw%20blood.

Source: draw blood on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.