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Plural of Blood

by Craig Shrives

The Quick Answer

The plural of "blood" is "blood." "Blood" is a non-countable noun. It has no plural.

The term "bloods" is often used in the medical profession to shorten "blood test samples" or "blood works."

The Plural of Blood

The plural of "blood" is "blood."

A lot of blood, sweat, and tears have gone into this career of mine. (Kevin Hart)
Athletics is in my blood. (Haile Gebrselassie)

"Bloods" is not the plural of "blood." "Bloods" is only acceptable in a medical context. (It is the shortened version of "blood works.")

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The Standard Rules for Forming the Plurals

The table below shows the standard rules for forming the plurals of nouns in English.

Type	Example of Type	Forming the Plural	Plural
Most Nouns	lamp scythe	add s	lamps scythes
Noun Ending s, sh, ch, x or z	bus dress	add es	buses dresses
Nouns ending [consonant] o	hero zero tomato	add either s or es (There are no rules for this - you have to know.)	heroes zeros tomatoes
Nouns ending [vowel] o	patio ratio	add s	patios ratios
Nouns ending [consonant] y	story penny	change the y to an i and add es	stories pennies
Nouns ending [vowel] y	storey () donkey	add s	storeys donkeys
Nouns ending f or fe	dwarf hoof	ves and/or s (There are no rules - you have to know.)	dwarfs hooves or hoofs
Exceptions	man louse	some nouns undergo a vowel or letters change	men lice
More exceptions	blood sheep	some nouns do not change at all	blood sheep

Why Is There Confusion over the Plural of Blood?

Confusion arises because of the term "bloods," which is used among medical professionals. "Bloods" is actually a contraction for the terms "blood works" or "blood samples."

Of note, "The Bloods" (from the slang term blood meaning brother) is the name of a street gang in Los Angeles.

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Suitable for: Teachers, advanced students, and business writers.

Description: Published by London's Octopus Publishing, "Smashing Grammar" is the third, and most comprehensive, grammar reference book written by Craig Shrives (the founder of the Grammar-Monster.com). It is divided into three sections: