bloodsucker

noun

blood·​suck·​er ˈbləd-ˌsə-kər How to pronounce bloodsucker (audio)
1
: an animal that sucks blood
especially : leech
2
: a person who sponges or preys on another
bloodsucking adjective

Examples of bloodsucker in a Sentence

Our landlord, the bloodsucker, just raised our rent again. the union accused the company executives of being bloodsuckers, since they had given themselves raises at a time when the rank and file were forced to take cuts in their benefits
Recent Examples on the Web Whatever their other abilities, leeches have proved to be gifted bloodsuckers and offer a noninvasive and precise way to reestablish blood flow in patients recovering from reconstructive and aesthetic operations. Zoey Poll, New York Times, 16 Feb. 2024 Kissing bugs in Arizona:Everything to know about these nocturnal bloodsuckers Bugs in Arizona in April In April, expect to encounter a bustling ecosystem of creatures, including crickets, beetles and curious spiders spinning intricate webs to catch unsuspecting prey. The Arizona Republic, 14 Feb. 2024 But the universal appeal of bloodsuckers taps into our disastrous conditioning regarding what love is supposed to look like, an eternal status whose merits reside in a fictional realm of indestructibility. Nicholas Bell, SPIN, 14 Feb. 2024 The suspenseful trailer shows the captors trying to figure out the best way to kill the young bloodsucker. Jaden Thompson, Variety, 11 Jan. 2024 But what could have been the start of a conversation about appropriation, appreciation and Latin identity gets smoothed over into a more generic storyline about industry bloodsuckers taking advantage of new artists. Angie Han, The Hollywood Reporter, 19 Oct. 2023 Richter Belmont, a descendant of the legendary vampire-hunter Trevor from the first series, must face off against supernatural bloodsuckers and an even more vile threat: late-18th-century French aristocrats. James Grebey, Vulture, 29 Sep. 2023 The bloodsuckers pose a serious health threat in Shasta County, where record levels of West Nile virus are being detected. Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 6 Oct. 2023 In fact, Demeter owes its biggest debt to F.W. Murnau’s perpetually eerie 1922 silent movie, in both its channeling of that classic’s indelible sequence aboard a ship and its determination to make Max Schreck’s bug-eyed bloodsucker look like a matinee idol by comparison. David Fear, Rolling Stone, 11 Aug. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bloodsucker.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bloodsucker was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near bloodsucker

Cite this Entry

“Bloodsucker.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bloodsucker. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bloodsucker

noun
blood·​suck·​er -ˌsək-ər How to pronounce bloodsucker (audio)
: an animal that sucks blood
especially : leech sense 1
bloodsucking adjective

Medical Definition

bloodsucker

noun
blood·​suck·​er -ˌsək-ər How to pronounce bloodsucker (audio)
: an animal that sucks blood
especially : leech
bloodsucking adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on bloodsucker

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