English Reference
noun · verb

hemorrhage

n. · v.
US /ˈhɛmɝɪdʒ/ hem·or·rhage UK spelling haemorrhage, hemorrhaged, hemorrhages

  1. 01 C1 Advanced American EnglishTechnical Medicine

    n.a large and sudden loss of blood from the body.

    n.a profuse discharge of blood from the blood vessels, either internally or externally.

    Simple

    The patient suffered a severe hemorrhage after the accident and needed surgery immediately.

    In context

    The surgeon worked quickly to locate the source of the internal hemorrhage before the patient's blood pressure dropped to critical levels.

    Usage

    Commonly used as an uncountable noun for the condition and a countable noun for a specific event.

    bleedingbleeding out
  2. 02 C1 Advanced American English

    n.a sudden or large loss of something valuable, like money or workers.

    n.a rapid, significant, and detrimental loss of assets, personnel, or resources.

    Simple

    The company faced a massive hemorrhage of talent as employees left for better jobs.

    In context

    Economists warned that without immediate intervention, the national treasury would face a hemorrhage of capital that could destabilize the currency.

    Teacher's tip

    This figurative use is common in business and political journalism to emphasize the severity of a loss.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced American EnglishTechnical Medicine

    v.to lose a lot of blood very quickly.

    v.to undergo a profuse and rapid loss of blood.

    Simple

    The wound began to hemorrhage, so he applied pressure to stop the flow.

    In context

    Medical staff were concerned that the victim might hemorrhage internally despite showing few outward signs of trauma.

    Usage

    Usually functions as an intransitive verb in medical contexts.

  4. 04 C1 Advanced American English

    v.to lose a large amount of something, especially money, in a way that is hard to stop.

    v.to lose something in copious and detrimental quantities, typically in a financial or organizational context.

    Simple

    The airline was hemorrhaging money every day while the planes were grounded.

    In context

    The tech startup began hemorrhaging users after the controversial update, leading to a sharp decline in its market valuation.

    Usage

    Often used transitively with 'money', 'cash', or 'jobs' as the object.

Promising teenage Australian golfer Jessica Bang died after suffering a brain haemorrhage while preparing for a tournament in Thailand, her family and tour officials said.

Al Jazeera· 14 Aug 2026

Promising Australian golfer Jessica Bang dies at the age of 18 after suffering a brain haemorrhage as she prepared for a tournament in Thailand.

BBC News· 14 Aug 2026

From Latin haemorrhagia, from Ancient Greek αἱμορραγία (haimorrhagía, “a violent bleeding”), from αἱμορραγής (haimorrhagḗs, “bleeding violently”), from αἷμα (haîma, “blood”) + -ραγία (-ragía), from ῥηγνύναι (rhēgnúnai, “to break, burst”); see ῥήγνῡμῐ (rhḗgnūmĭ) for more.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Ancient Greek αἱμορραγία
Level C1 · Advanced
Frequency Occasional
Updated