Idiom
Blood is thicker than water
Blood is thicker than water means that family ties are stronger and more important than other relationships.
How people use it
People use it to explain loyalty to relatives, often when someone chooses family over friends or coworkers: she sided with her brother, because blood is thicker than water. It can be warm and approving, or a little rueful when family loyalty seems unfair to others. It is a proverb, so it usually appears as a complete sentence. The tone is neutral.
Examples
- Leo helped his sister move on his only day off; blood is thicker than water.
- Even after their argument, the brothers stood together, because blood is thicker than water.
- My aunt always says blood is thicker than water when the cousins squabble.
Where it comes from
The idea is very old. A version appears in a German animal fable from the 1100s, and the English wording was well known by the early 1800s. Walter Scott helped popularize it in his 1815 novel Guy Mannering. A claim that spread online says the original was "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb", which would reverse the meaning; there is no historical evidence for that version.
Check yourself
1. What does "blood is thicker than water" mean?
Answer: Family bonds are the strongest. The proverb says family ties outweigh other relationships.
2. Which sentence uses the proverb correctly?
Answer: When her cousin needed a loan, Ana helped at once; blood is thicker than water.. The proverb supports loyalty to family, not to strangers.
Similar idioms
Word game fan? See every word hiding in BLOOD.