blood pressure

noun

, Physiology.

1. the pressure of the blood against the inner walls of the blood vessels, varying in different parts of the body during different phases of contraction of the heart and under different conditions of health, exertion, etc. : BP

blood pressure

noun

1. the pressure exerted by the blood on the inner walls of the arteries, being relative to the elasticity and diameter of the vessels and the force of the heartbeat

blood pressure

1. The pressure of the blood in the vessels, especially the arteries, as it circulates through the body. Blood pressure varies with the strength of the heartbeat, the volume of blood being pumped, and the elasticity of the blood vessels. Arterial blood pressure is usually measured by means of a sphygmomanometer and reported in millimeters of mercury as a fraction, with the numerator equal to the blood pressure during systole and the denominator equal to the blood pressure during diastole.
2. See more at hypertension

blood pressure

1. The pressure of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels , especially the arteries . It is expressed in two figures, said to be one “over” the other: the systolic pressure, which is the pressure when the left ventricle of the heart contracts to push the blood through the body; and the diastolic pressure, which is the pressure when the ventricle relaxes and fills with blood. Blood pressure is affected by the strength of the heartbeat, the volume of blood in the body, the elasticity of the blood vessels, and the age and general health of the person. ( See circulatory system .)

Word History and Origins

Origin of blood pressure¹

First recorded in 1870–75

Example Sentences

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend consuming less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day, since too much can contribute to high blood pressure, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.

From Outside Online

Two months where all I had was a televisit — they make you take your own blood pressure at home.

From Vox

Consumption of fried foods has also been linked to diabetes and high blood pressure.

From Washington Post

If we decrease salt, we can decrease blood pressure and decrease cardiovascular disease.

From Washington Post

Medical researchers have studied other benefits like lower blood pressure and a dip in lipids in mice, but more research in humans is needed.

From Popular-Science

An innovative gift is the Qardioarm, a blood pressure monitor that records readings and uploads them to the cloud.

From The Daily Beast

For example, Kuwait recently put a limit the allowable amount of sodium in bread to lower blood pressure.

From The Daily Beast

But when the event approached, her blood pressure had plummeted, leaving her incapacitated.

From The Daily Beast

The polygraph, which uses a range of measurements including blood pressure, was patented by Leonarde Keeler in 1931.

From The Daily Beast

As a Harvard undergraduate, he used systolic blood pressure readings to invent the lie detector test.

From The Daily Beast

I felt blood pressure rising in me for the first time since my transfusion.

From Project Gutenberg

The Dowd Phosphatometer not only takes blood-pressure, it tells how to regulate it.

From Project Gutenberg

"Perhaps you could take my blood pressure, or something," Wheatley offered.

From Project Gutenberg

The rise in the blood-pressure occurs even after section of the spinal cord.

From Project Gutenberg

That evening and on several subsequent occasions McLean took blood-pressure observations.

From Project Gutenberg