Atherosclerosis is a progressive lesion of the intima of large and medium-sized arteries, which is the main cause of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. At present, the treatment of atherosclerosis is not satisfactory. Finding a new and more effective therapeutic target is a hot topic in current medicine. CD47, as a widely expressed protein, can promote the occurrence and development of atherosclerosis in many ways by binding to a ligand signaling regulatory protein alpha or platelet reactive protein-1, for example, blocking the efferocytosis of apoptotic cells, promoting the apoptosis of endothelial cells, inhibiting the physiological function of nitric oxide, and increasing the production of cell adhesion factors. Inhibition of CD47 expression can block these pathways and delay or even reverse atherosclerosis, so CD47 may become an important target for future anti-atherosclerosis studies.