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

Fellow swimmers heard Adams screaming and used a surfboard to help him onto the beach, where lifeguards and others provided first aid, applying a tourniquet to stanch his bleeding before loading him into an ambulance. —Karen Kucher, The Mercury News, 12 July 2024

From a panicked person who doesn’t know what to do to one who suddenly mobilizes people, improvises and takes a belt or sweater to make a tourniquet. —Noam Barkan, Sun Sentinel, 11 July 2024

Two off-duty Border Patrol agents from the Search, Trauma, and Rescue Unit pulled one of the victims out of the water and applied a tourniquet to their leg, according to a US Customs and Border Protection official. —Jillian Sykes, CNN, 4 July 2024

Arriving officers placed a tourniquet on the man’s leg before paramedics took him to Ryder Trauma Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital, Martin added. —David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 8 July 2024

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