Blood is thicker than water means that family ties are stronger than any others, and you help your relatives first. People say it to explain why they took their family's side, even when a relative is wrong or they haven't spoken for years. The proverb is often followed by after all.
When would you say blood is thicker than water?
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blood is thicker than water; …, (because/after all,) blood is thicker than water
- I argue with my brother a lot, but blood is thicker than water and he always helps me.
- She chose her sister's wedding over an important work trip. Blood is thicker than water, after all.
- When the family business got into trouble, his cousins lent him money; blood is thicker than water.
What changed
First versionBlood is not water, so I lent my cousin the money.
RevisionBlood is thicker than water, so I lent my cousin the money.
Blood is not water may seem a natural way to say that family is special. But in English it's just a statement about liquids, not a proverb, and a native speaker won't get the point. In the English version, blood is “thicker” than water, so is not was replaced with is thicker than.
Don't confuse it with flesh and blood: that isn't a rule but your relatives themselves: I can't refuse him, he's my own flesh and blood. Blood is thicker than water explains a choice, while flesh and blood simply points to family.
Your turn
We hadn't spoken for years, but when my brother got ill, I flew home at once. Blood is ___ than water.
Show the answer
thicker — The proverb has only one form: blood is thicker than water. Stronger makes logical sense, but people don't say it, and the sentence stops being a proverb.
Write about a time when you or someone you know supported a relative. Say who you supported and what you had to put off for it.
I put off my weekend trip to help my cousin move house, because blood is thicker than water.
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