hemorrhage
Americannoun
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a profuse discharge of blood, as from a ruptured blood vessel; bleeding.
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the loss of assets, especially in large amounts.
-
any widespread or uncontrolled loss or diffusion.
verb (used without object)
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to bleed profusely.
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to lose assets, especially in large amounts.
verb (used with object)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of hemorrhage
1665–75; < Latin haemorrhagia < Greek haimorrhagía. See hemo-, -rrhagia
Explanation
Medically speaking, a hemorrhage is a rapid loss of blood. If you fall and hit your head really hard, the doctors will check to see there's no cerebral hemorrhage, or bleeding in your brain. Hemorrhage is pronounced HEM-or-edge. Blame the Greeks for the funny spelling, because like many medical terms, this one comes from Greek roots. Besides the medical meaning, we use hemorrhage to mean the uncontrollable loss of other things. If sudden disaster is making you hemorrhage money, you'll have to cut back on fancy dinners and new shoes. Can I recommend frozen pizza?
Vocabulary lists containing hemorrhage
The Catcher in the Rye
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Maus I: My Father Bleeds History
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100 SAT Words Beginning with "H"
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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.
In March 2024, 16-year-old Shaylee Mejia died after she suffered a brain hemorrhage.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026
The researchers also found strong evidence that daily aspirin increases the risk of serious extracranial hemorrhage and likely raises the risk of hemorrhagic stroke.
From Science Daily • Mar. 4, 2026
French reports said that Macron appeared to have a sub-conjunctival hemorrhage, which is a broken blood vessel in his eye.
From BBC • Jan. 20, 2026
But had her hemorrhage happened on the day of the hurricane, she may have bled to death.
From Slate • Oct. 21, 2025
Katie had such a fit of giggling that she was afraid she’d bring on a hemorrhage.
From "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" by Betty Smith
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.
