hemorrhage

1 of 2

noun

hem·​or·​rhage ˈhe-mə-rij How to pronounce hemorrhage (audio)
ˈhem-rij
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Nearly a decade later, a Costa Rican woman had a severe brain hemorrhage cured. Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025 The child was taken to the hospital for medical treatment and is currently in the pediatric intensive care unit with bilateral skull fractures and subdural and subarachnoid hemorrhages, according to the arrest citation. Caroline Neal, Louisville Courier Journal, 4 Sep. 2025
Verb
With 64% of job applicants admitting to résumé falsification, up from 55% just two years ago, according to StandOut CV, companies are hemorrhaging money on staffing and bad hires while genuine talent slips through traditional screening processes. Douglas B. Laney, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025 The following night, as Lockwood slept at home, Kendall hemorrhaged twice, losing three and a half litres of blood. Alexandra Schwartz, New Yorker, 25 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hemorrhage

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

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Cite this Entry

“Hemorrhage.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hemorrhage. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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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