lifeblood
noun
life·blood ˈlīf-ˈbləd 
-ˌbləd
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
Example Sentences
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 But the act laid out a timeline that spans more than two decades, and set off a rash of well drilling among those trying to beat the deadline, particularly in agricultural areas where wells are the lifeblood of the industry. 
Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2022 From working in the ticketing office to being an emergency responder and everywhere in between, women are part of the lifeblood of the greatest spectacle in racing. Grace Hollars, The Indianapolis Star, 26 May 2022 The Star Ferry grew to become part of the lifeblood of Hong Kong. New York Times, 19 Apr. 2022 These dollars fund nearly all of the lifeblood of biomedical inquiry, money that pays even the salaries of low-level biology professors. The Editors, National Review, 18 Jan. 2022 Lifting local talent has also been part of the lifeblood for Saint Kate, a hotel in Milwaukee. Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2021 One of his dogmas is seeing oil as a kind of existential lifeblood for Mexico, and Pemex, the state oil monopoly, as a central lever of development. Enrique Krauze, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020 American universities are subordinating academic achievement to ideology while constricting free expression—the lifeblood of intellectual advancement and prosperity. Richard Vedder, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 The river is a lifeblood in places like California’s Imperial Valley, which grows vegetables like broccoli, onions and carrots. Kathleen Ronayne, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2022 See More
Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2022 From working in the ticketing office to being an emergency responder and everywhere in between, women are part of the lifeblood of the greatest spectacle in racing. Grace Hollars, The Indianapolis Star, 26 May 2022 The Star Ferry grew to become part of the lifeblood of Hong Kong. New York Times, 19 Apr. 2022 These dollars fund nearly all of the lifeblood of biomedical inquiry, money that pays even the salaries of low-level biology professors. The Editors, National Review, 18 Jan. 2022 Lifting local talent has also been part of the lifeblood for Saint Kate, a hotel in Milwaukee. Washington Post, 4 Nov. 2021 One of his dogmas is seeing oil as a kind of existential lifeblood for Mexico, and Pemex, the state oil monopoly, as a central lever of development. Enrique Krauze, The New York Review of Books, 2 July 2020 American universities are subordinating academic achievement to ideology while constricting free expression—the lifeblood of intellectual advancement and prosperity. Richard Vedder, WSJ, 19 Aug. 2022 The river is a lifeblood in places like California’s Imperial Valley, which grows vegetables like broccoli, onions and carrots. Kathleen Ronayne, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Aug. 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1579, in the meaning defined at sense 1
lifeblood
noun
as in élan vital
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- élan vital
- world soul
- life
- soul
- spirit
- inner light
- orgone
- Sakti
- light
- nature
- mana
- Shakti
- karma
- energy
- chi
- aura
- ki
- vibration(s)
- qi
- vibe(s)
- ch'i