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hematoma

American  
[hee-ma-toh-muh, hem-uh-] / ˌhi mæˈtoʊ mə, ˌhɛm ə- /

noun

Pathology.
  • hematomas,
    plural
  • hematomata
    plural
  1. a circumscribed collection of blood, usually clotted, in a tissue or organ, caused by a break in a blood vessel.


hematoma Scientific  
/ hē′mə-tōmə /
  • hematomas
    plural
  1. The abnormal buildup of blood in an organ or other tissue of the body, caused by a break in a blood vessel.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of hematoma

First recorded in 1840–50; hemat- + -oma

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Vocabulary lists containing hematoma

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:

The procedure does not eliminate her cancer risk entirely, and she said she dealt with complications, including a hematoma.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 7, 2026

In the early days after injury, a hematoma or bruise develops at the fracture site.

From Science Daily Mar. 3, 2026

“I think people can understand a torn rotator cuff,” Grace says, “but they can’t necessarily understand pelvic hematoma until they’ve had one.”

From Slate Oct. 6, 2025

Toriyama died in March aged 68 after he suffered an acute subdural hematoma, a type of bleeding near the brain.

From BBC Oct. 8, 2024

An ovarian hematoma the size of a large orange was removed from the right side.

From Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine by Walter L. (Walter Lytle) Pyle

Initially, symptoms can include a runny nose, cough and fever, Yeganeh said, but they can progress to “violent, relentless coughing fits” that can disrupt sleep and cause rib fractures and hematomas in eyes.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 5, 2024

Chicas ended up in the hospital, with an infection produced by hematomas, and his mother made him swear he would never alter his body to look like a man.

From Washington Times May 19, 2023

Sometimes older people suffer slow bleeds after hitting their heads, known as subdural hematomas, which can cause confusion, paralysis and even death if the pressure is allowed to gradually build up.

From Washington Post Nov. 2, 2022

In those cases, known as subdural hematomas, symptoms can develop quickly or over the course of weeks.

From Seattle Times Feb. 10, 2022

The doctors said that while both operations had been successful in relieving pressure, they had left multiple hematomas, or blood clots, deeper inside his brain that were not accessible to further surgery.

From New York Times Jan. 1, 2014

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