blood bank

American

noun

a place where blood or blood plasma is collected, processed, stored, and distributed.
such a supply of blood or blood plasma.

blood bank British

noun

a place where whole blood, blood plasma, or other blood products are stored until required in transfusion

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of blood bank

First recorded in 1935–40

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Every unit of blood issued by the district hospital's blood bank is tested according to government protocol and released only after a negative report, Dr Shukla says.

From BBC • Dec. 19, 2025

And Alexandre’s movie theater, with its bloody spectacles, gets replaced by something very different: a blood bank, a monument to recovery.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 27, 2025

Some version of a civilian walking blood bank may soon become a reality.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025

A decade or so later, Kaufman met a veterinarian who wanted to start an animal blood bank, and they went into business.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 17, 2024

That’s also what he calls politics and what happened to Mr. Earl after he broke into the Jackson blood bank.

From "The Manifestor Prophecy" by Angie Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023