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hemorrhage

/ˈhɛmərɪdʒ/  ·  say it: HEM·er·ij

heavy or uncontrolled bleeding

In Medicine & Health

In more detail

1. (noun) severe or uncontrolled bleeding from blood vessels, either inside or outside the body

2. (verb) to bleed heavily or uncontrollably

3. (verb) to lose something gradually or in large amounts

Examples

• 1. The patient suffered a brain hemorrhage after the accident.
• 2. The wound began to hemorrhage, so we applied pressure immediately.
• 3. The company is hemorrhaging money due to poor management.

How to use hemorrhage

Hemorrhage is used in medical contexts to describe serious bleeding, either literal (as in a stroke caused by cerebral hemorrhage) or figurative (as in a company hemorrhaging money or talent). It conveys severity and the sense of loss that is difficult to stop, making it stronger than simple 'bleeding' or 'loss'. The figurative sense is common in business and political discourse.

Register: formal

Common phrases

• severe hemorrhage
• internal hemorrhage
• cerebral hemorrhage
• hemorrhage control
• stop the hemorrhage
• suffer a hemorrhage

Synonyms

bleed · bleeding · blood loss · profuse bleeding · uncontrolled bleeding

Word family

hemorrhage (noun/verb) · hemorrhagic (adjective) · hemorrhaging (present participle)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes use hemorrhage as a simple synonym for 'bleed' or 'lose', missing that it specifically implies severity, volume, and urgency rather than minor or controlled loss.

Nearby in Medicine & Health

dosage, edema, embolism, hypertension, immunity, inflammation

Keep going

How to remember the words you read · Spaced repetition, explained