tourniquet

noun

tour·​ni·​quet ˈtu̇r-ni-kət  ˈtər- 

: a device (such as a band of rubber) that checks bleeding or blood flow by compressing blood vessels

Examples of tourniquet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

More officers from the Bloomington Police Department and Illinois State Police responded and started emergency medical care, such as CPR, placing tourniquets, and addressing bleeding wounds, until paramedics came, Simington said. — Adam Harrington, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

Matt applied a make-shift tourniquet out of clothing to try to stop the bleeding. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026

Foster, meanwhile, fashioned an additional tourniquet with a belt, per WXYZ. — Toria Sheffield, PEOPLE, 26 Sep. 2026

Do not apply a tourniquet, cut the wound, or try to suck out venom. — Isa Almeida, Oklahoman, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French, turnstile, tourniquet, from tourner to turn, from Old French — more at turn

First Known Use

1695, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

tourniquet

noun

tour·​ni·​quet ˈtu̇r-ni-kət  ˈtər- 

: a device (as a band of rubber) used to stop or slow bleeding or blood flow by compressing blood vessels

Medical Definition

tourniquet

noun

tour·​ni·​quet ˈtu̇r-ni-kət  ˈtər- 

: a device (as a bandage twisted tight with a stick) to check bleeding or blood flow