Meaning of blood relation in English

blood relation
noun [ C ]
us

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/ˌblʌd rɪˈleɪ.ʃən/ uk

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/ˌblʌd rɪˈleɪ.ʃən/
(also blood relative)
someone who is related to you by birth rather than through marriage
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(Definition of blood relation from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)
Examples from literature
  • Among many of the old families only blood relations are expected to eat and drink together on this holy day. 
  • I have no other blood relations in Europe and know nothing of some distant cousins who live in Australia. 
  • My parents were blood relations—cousins in the second degree—my mother, whose maiden name was Minor, having descended from a collateral branch of my father's family. 
  • Some, with blood relations in the States, refused point blank to take up arms. 
  • The priests also instruct the boys on their duty to their blood relations, and teach them the secrets of the tribe. 

Examples of blood relation

blood relation
For example, if a potential heir comes forward, it will be possible to determine a blood relation.
From ABC News
Must it be a blood relation?
From the Cambridge English Corpus
In some districts the mourners paint themselves white on the death of a blood relation, and black when a relative by marriage dies.
From Project Gutenberg
Because, although a perfect stranger, you are, after all, my niece, my only sister's only child, my own only blood relation.
From Project Gutenberg
My sister again surely is the blood relation of her son.
From Project Gutenberg
The blood relation tends to bring together persons with similar morbid tendencies.
From Project Gutenberg
You seem a good deal nearer to me than he does, even if he is a blood relation.
From Project Gutenberg
They were no blood relation but marster got possession of his property when he died.
From Project Gutenberg
Then the mapping can be considered successful only if “close relationship” is interpreted widely, and not limited to blood relations.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
Your father was the last blood relation of whom he knows anything, and he seems to feel that we belong to him in a certain sort of way.
From Project Gutenberg
All my blood relations were present besides other relatives and friends.
From the Cambridge English Corpus
The circle of huts immediately around the kotla of the chief is composed of the huts of his wives and those of his blood relations.
From Project Gutenberg
His blood relations have all been thought of.
From Project Gutenberg
The most stringent rules have been formulated to prevent those people from marrying each other who are least likely to want to--namely, blood relations.
From Project Gutenberg
Members of a clan, though living hundreds of miles apart, are recognized as blood relations by means of their totems.
From Project Gutenberg
These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.
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