embolism
Americannoun
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embolisms
plural
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Pathology. the occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus.
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intercalation, as of a day in a year.
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a period of time intercalated.
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(in a Eucharistic service) the prayer following the final petitions of the Lord's Prayer.
noun
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the occlusion of a blood vessel by an embolus
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botany the blocking of a xylem vessel by an air bubble
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the insertion of one or more days into a calendar, esp the Jewish calendar; intercalation
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RC Church a prayer inserted in the canon of the Mass between the Lord's Prayer and the breaking of the bread
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another name (not in technical use) for embolus
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A mass, such as an air bubble, detached blood clot, or foreign body, that travels in the bloodstream, lodges in a blood vessel, and obstructs or occludes it.
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Also called embolus
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The obstruction or occlusion of a blood vessel by such a mass.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of embolism
1350–1400; Middle English < Medieval Latin embolismus intercalation < Late Greek embolismós, equivalent to embol- ( see embolus) + -ismos -ism
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Last month OpenAI was sued for the “unauthorized practice of medicine” by a Florida pastor seeking advice for a pulmonary embolism.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 2, 2026
Partaking in them is not without risk—ozone therapy, for example, has the potential side effect of something called an air embolism, which can lead to a stroke or heart attack.
From Slate ● Mar. 30, 2026
Sue Howell, from Bilston, died from a pulmonary embolism, a clot in the blood vessel connecting the heart with the lungs.
From BBC ● Feb. 12, 2026
The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office determined that the beloved comedian died of a pulmonary embolism, a blood clot in the lungs, according to her death certificate published Monday by TMZ.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
If anything, he says it was the amniotic embolism that did it.
From "Sunny" by Jason Reynolds
There are AI competitors like AIdoc, which started with pulmonary embolisms, and OpenEvidence, which doctors use to help diagnose diseases.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 19, 2026
However, in recent years, he had missed shows while experiencing various health issues, including pulmonary embolisms in 2022, which he said almost killed him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 3, 2024
For many patients who undergo butt lifts and related procedures, complications like blood clots or embolisms, which can be fatal, are a bigger concern than the cartels.
From New York Times ● Apr. 17, 2023
Do not forget the postnatal depression, and the two pulmonary embolisms which endangered her life.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2022
They appear secondarily as spreading infections from milk glands, thyroids, anal glands, or as embolisms.
From Special Report on Diseases of Cattle by United States. Bureau of Animal Industry
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
