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hemorrhoid

American  
[hem-uh-roid, hem-roid] / ˈhɛm əˌrɔɪd, ˈhɛm rɔɪd /

noun

  • hemorrhoids
    plural
  1. Pathology. Usually hemorrhoids an abnormally enlarged vein mainly due to a persistent increase in venous pressure, occurring inside the anal sphincter of the rectum and beneath the mucous membrane internal hemorrhoid or outside the anal sphincter and beneath the surface of the anal skin external hemorrhoid.


Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of hemorrhoid

1350–1400; Middle English emoroides (plural) < Latin haemorrhoid ( a ) < Greek haimorroḯda (adj.) discharging blood


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:

Interestingly, the study did not find a connection between straining during bowel movements and hemorrhoid risk, which differs from conclusions drawn in some earlier studies.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 7, 2026

Currently, Preparation H is the go-to over-the-counter hemorrhoid treatment.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025

The scientific literature on the issue, however, is scant—just a few studies, the largest of which relied on hemorrhoid self-reporting rather than evaluations, which makes the results less reliable.

From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2025

James Ivory took a nap in Hugh’s hotel room and accidentally used his hemorrhoid cream to brush his teeth instead of the toothpaste.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2024

All of the circulatory vessels, especially the smaller ones, become enlarged, varicose; and an aggregation of varicosed vessels forms a tumor called a pile or hemorrhoid.

From Intestinal Ills Chronic Constipation, Indigestion, Autogenetic Poisons, Diarrhea, Piles, Etc. Also Auto-Infection, Auto-Intoxication, Anemia, Emaciation, Etc. Due to Proctitis and Colitis by Alcinous B. (Alcinous Burton) Jamison

When constipation becomes persistent, it may also contribute to complications such as hemorrhoids, cardiovascular strain, and an increased risk of colorectal problems.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 5, 2026

Norms also has a Hemmies chatbot that fields hemorrhoid queries and does throwback-style PSAs designed to encourage people to talk about hemorrhoids without being too serious.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 21, 2025

Not that smartphone users are more likely to get hemorrhoids, or even that smartphone users were five times more likely to spend more than five minutes on the toilet than nonusers.

From Slate ● Sep. 12, 2025

“Here are some of the things that are more popular than Congress: hemorrhoids, Nickelback, traffic jams, cockroaches, root canals, colonoscopies, herpes,” Schwarzenegger said in a 2017 Facebook video.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 29, 2025

Wilson Carbod, the center for the Culver Creek Nothings, had hemorrhoids, or at least he kept hemorrhoidal cream secreted away in the bottom drawer of his desk.

From "Looking for Alaska" by John Green

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