noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
/ˈblʌdˌʃɛd/
US:Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
CMU ARPABET:B L AH1 D SH EH2 D
Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
1
noun
Meaning 1
The shedding or spilling of blood.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: literally, uncountable, usually
Examples
avoid bloodshed
The revolution resulted in heavy bloodshed.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
2
noun
Meaning 2
A slaughter; destruction of life, notably on a large scale.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: uncountable, usually
Examples
political bloodshed
widespread bloodshed
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
3
noun
Meaning 3
The shedding of one's own blood; specifically, the death of Christ.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
4
noun
Meaning 4
A bloodshot condition or appearance; an effusion of blood in the eye.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: obsolete, uncountable, usually
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
5
noun
Meaning 5
the shedding of blood resulting in murder
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
he avenged the bloodshed of his kinsmen
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: gore
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: murder, slaying, execution
6
noun
Meaning 6
indiscriminate slaughter
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
a bloodbath took place when the leaders of the plot surrendered
ten days after the bloodletting Hitler gave the action its name
the valley is no stranger to bloodshed and murder
a huge prison battue was ordered
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bloodbath, bloodletting, battue
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: slaughter, massacre, mass murder, carnage, butchery
History
Etymology
From attested early forms of such phrases as "there was much blood shed"; equivalent to blood + shed, past participle of shed.
Across languages
Translations
140 source translations are retained for this English entry.
Arabic:
سَفْك الدَّم
(safk ad-dam)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Arabic:
إِرَاقَةُ الدَّم
(ʔirāqatu d-dam)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Armenian:
արյունահեղություն
(aryunaheġutʻyun)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Azerbaijani:
qantökmə
— shedding or spilling of blood
Belarusian:
кровапралі́цце
(krovapralíccje)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Belarusian:
кровапралі́цьце
(krovapralícʹcje)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Bulgarian:
кръвопроли́тие
(krǎvoprolítie)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Bulgarian:
кръвопроли́ване
(krǎvoprolívane)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Chinese Mandarin:
流血
(liúxuè, liúxuě, liúxiě)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Czech:
krveprolití
— shedding or spilling of blood
Czech:
krveprolévání
— shedding or spilling of blood
Danish:
blodsudgydelse
— shedding or spilling of blood
Dutch:
bloedbad
— shedding or spilling of blood
Dutch:
bloedvergieten
— shedding or spilling of blood
Estonian:
verevalamine
— shedding or spilling of blood
Finnish:
verenvuodatus
— shedding or spilling of blood
French:
effusion de sang
— shedding or spilling of blood
Galician:
derramamento de sangue
— shedding or spilling of blood
Georgian:
სისხლისღვრა
(sisxlisɣvra)
— shedding or spilling of blood
German:
Blutvergießen
— shedding or spilling of blood
German:
Blutbad
— shedding or spilling of blood
Greek:
αιματοχυσία
(aimatochysía)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Ancient Greek:
αἱματεκχυσία
(haimatekkhusía)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hebrew:
שְפִיכוּת דָמִים
(shfikhut damim)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hindi:
रक्तपात
(raktapāt)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hindi:
खूनखराबा
(khūnakhrābā)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hindi:
खुनखराबा
(khunakhrābā)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hindi:
सफ्क
(saphk)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hindi:
हिंसन
(hinsan)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hindi:
हिंसा
(hinsā)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hindi:
मारकाट
(mārkāṭ)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Hungarian:
vérontás
— shedding or spilling of blood
Irish:
doirteadh fola
— shedding or spilling of blood
Italian:
spargimento di sangue
— shedding or spilling of blood
Japanese:
流血
(ryūketsu)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Kazakh:
қантөгіс
(qantögıs)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Kazakh:
қан төгу
(qan tögu)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Korean:
유혈
(yuhyeol)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Korean:
류혈
(ryuhyeol)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Kyrgyz:
кан төгүү
(kan tögüü)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Lithuanian:
kraujo praliejimas
— shedding or spilling of blood
Macedonian:
крвопролевање
(krvoprolevanje)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Malay:
pertumpahan darah
— shedding or spilling of blood
Norwegian Bokmål:
blodsutgytelse
— shedding or spilling of blood
Old English:
blōdgyte
— shedding or spilling of blood
Dari:
خُونْریزِی
(xūnrēzī)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Iranian Persian:
خونْریزی
(xunrizi)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Polish:
rozlew krwi
— shedding or spilling of blood
Polish:
przelew krwi
— shedding or spilling of blood
Portuguese:
derramamento de sangue
— shedding or spilling of blood
Russian:
кровопроли́тие
(krovoprolítije)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Scottish Gaelic:
dòrtadh-fala
— shedding or spilling of blood
Serbo-Croatian:
крвопролиће
— shedding or spilling of blood
Serbo-Croatian:
krvoproliće
— shedding or spilling of blood
Slovak:
krvipreliatie
— shedding or spilling of blood
Slovak:
krviprelievanie
— shedding or spilling of blood
Slovene:
prelivanje krvi
— shedding or spilling of blood
Lower Sorbian:
kšejpśelaśe
— shedding or spilling of blood
Spanish:
derramamiento de sangre
— shedding or spilling of blood
Spanish:
derrame de sangre
— shedding or spilling of blood
Spanish:
hechos de sangre
— shedding or spilling of blood
Swahili:
umwagaji damu
— shedding or spilling of blood
Swedish:
blodsutgjutelse
— shedding or spilling of blood
Swedish:
blodspillan
— shedding or spilling of blood
Tajik:
хунрезӣ
(xunrezi)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Turkish:
kan dökme
— shedding or spilling of blood
Ukrainian:
кровопроли́ття
(krovoprolýttja)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Urdu:
خُوں ریزی
(xū̃ rezī)
— shedding or spilling of blood
Uzbek:
xunrezlik
— shedding or spilling of blood
Vietnamese:
sự đổ máu
— shedding or spilling of blood
Welsh:
tywallt gwaed
— shedding or spilling of blood