hemorrhage

1 of 2

noun

hem·​or·​rhage ˈhem-rij How to pronounce hemorrhage (audio)
ˈhe-mə-
1
medical : a copious or heavy discharge of blood from the blood vessels
a cerebral hemorrhage
postpartum hemorrhage
stop the hemorrhage
2
: a rapid and uncontrollable loss or outflow
a financial hemorrhage
hemorrhagic adjective

hemorrhage

2 of 2

verb

hemorrhaged; hemorrhaging

intransitive verb

: to undergo heavy or uncontrollable bleeding
began to hemorrhage after the surgery

transitive verb

: to lose rapidly and uncontrollably
The company is hemorrhaging money.

Did you know?

A hemorrhage usually results from either a severe blow to the body or from medication being taken for something else. Though many hemorrhages aren't particularly serious, those that occur in the brain (cerebral hemorrhages) can be life-threatening. In older people, hemorrhages are often caused by blood-thinning medication taken to prevent heart attacks. A bruise (or hematoma) is a hemorrhage close enough to the surface of the skin to be visible. Hemorrhage is also a verb, which isn't always used to talk about actual blood; thus, we may hear that a business is hemorrhaging money, or that the U.S. has been hemorrhaging industrial jobs for decades. Be careful when writing hemorrhage; it's not an easy word to spell.

Examples of hemorrhage in a Sentence

Noun The patient suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. There is a possibility of hemorrhage with the procedure. Verb The patient began to hemorrhage after the surgery.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Once a fierce opponent of the temple plan, the former priest has become reclusive after a brain hemorrhage in 2019 and largely avoids public interaction. Shweta Desai, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jan. 2024 Clarke will receive a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) not for her acting but for her charitable work: The actress, who survived two brain hemorrhages, established the SameYou foundation with her mother, to help those suffering with the same condition. Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 30 Dec. 2023 Mayor London Breed and other officials are desperately trying to stanch the hemorrhage of workers, shoppers and businesses while coping with the heavy impact on the city’s budget. Dan Walters, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024 Take for example, the first victim portrays gluttony: a man affected by obesity is force-fed literally to death via hemorrhage. Derek Scancarelli, EW.com, 18 Dec. 2023 Create a host of encrusted agencies that do a poor job of providing service and hemorrhage funds thanks to lush union contracts and large staffing for unnecessary departments. Steven Greenhut, The Mercury News, 23 Jan. 2024 The complaint further states that Means endured three hemorrhage episodes before giving birth to her son by emergency C-section. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 11 Jan. 2024 During Tuesday's news conference, Dr. Young said a CT scan showed swelling and hemorrhage surrounding the brain, and that Kessler's condition continued to deteriorate while at the hospital. Julie Sharp, CBS News, 7 Nov. 2023 And the California Fair circuit, which runs in the summer in Northern California, is hoping to fill the void left by Golden Gate but likely faces a future of just trying to hang on and not hemorrhage trainers and owners to other locations. John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 31 Aug. 2023
Verb
Subarachnoid hemorrhages The sudden, unusually severe headache Byous experienced is typical of a subarachnoid hemorrhage, a bleed from a ruptured aneurysm (a weakened blood vessel), with blood collecting around the brain. Judy Stone, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2024 At the time of his death, Neely's neck also suffered bruises, scrapes, bleeding and some of the muscles in his neck had hemorrhaged, according to the medical examiner, Wiley said. USA TODAY, 18 Jan. 2024 Biden has already hemorrhaged support among Michigan’s Arab American population over his position on Israel’s war in Gaza. Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 26 Feb. 2024 Perhaps only San Francisco is a better example than New York City, where the amount of offices collecting dust is at a record high: almost 20% are sitting empty, hemorrhaging money and shrinking the city’s tax base. Dylan Sloan, Fortune, 25 Feb. 2024 On this front, Biden has been hemorrhaging support among young voters. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 25 Jan. 2024 Peacock recalled a patient who started hemorrhaging badly after delivery. Laurie Udesky, USA TODAY, 24 Jan. 2024 According to polls, Biden is hemorrhaging support among Democrats on this issue. Christian Schneider, National Review, 21 Dec. 2023 Yet the band has also attracted online scrutiny, in part because of its habit of hemorrhaging members. Ej Dickson, Rolling Stone, 13 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hemorrhage.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Latin haemorrhagia, from Greek haimorrhagia, from haimo- hem- + -rrhagia

First Known Use

Noun

1671, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1928, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of hemorrhage was in 1671

Dictionary Entries Near hemorrhage

Cite this Entry

“Hemorrhage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hemorrhage. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hemorrhage

1 of 2 noun
hem·​or·​rhage ˈhem-(ə-)rij How to pronounce hemorrhage (audio)
: a great loss of blood from the blood vessels especially when caused by injury
hemorrhagic adjective

hemorrhage

2 of 2 verb
hemorrhaged; hemorrhaging
: to bleed heavily or uncontrollably

Medical Definition

hemorrhage

1 of 2 noun
hem·​or·​rhage
variants or chiefly British haemorrhage
: a copious discharge of blood from the blood vessels
hemorrhagic adjective
or chiefly British haemorrhagic

hemorrhage

2 of 2 intransitive verb
variants or chiefly British haemorrhage
hemorrhaged; hemorrhaging
: to undergo heavy or uncontrollable bleeding

More from Merriam-Webster on hemorrhage

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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