hemorrhage
C1/C2Technical/Formal (Medical); Figurative (News, Business, Academia)
Definition
Meaning
A significant, often rapid and uncontrolled loss of blood, either internally or externally from the body.
Any rapid, substantial, and often damaging loss or outflow, typically of a vital resource (e.g., money, personnel, talent, data).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The word implies a serious, often critical loss that threatens stability or viability. In figurative use, it suggests a crisis point requiring urgent intervention.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Spelling: 'Haemorrhage' is standard British English. 'Hemorrhage' is standard American English. The pronunciation is largely identical.
Connotations
In both varieties, the word carries strong connotations of danger, crisis, and urgency.
Frequency
Equally frequent in medical contexts in both regions. Figurative use is common in business and political journalism in both the US and UK.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
The patient hemorrhaged blood.The company is hemorrhaging cash.The team hemorrhaged key players.The government hemorrhaged support.Vocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Bleeding red ink (financial)”
- “Brain drain (talent)”
- “Bleeding out (figurative)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
'The startup began to hemorrhage venture capital after the failed product launch.'
Academic
'The policy resulted in a hemorrhage of skilled labour from the public sector.'
Everyday
'We've got to fix that tap; it's hemorrhaging water and money!'
Technical
'The scan revealed a subarachnoid hemorrhage requiring immediate neurosurgical intervention.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The clinic is haemorrhaging staff due to poor pay.
- The political party haemorrhaged votes in the northern constituencies.
American English
- The tech firm hemorrhaged user data in the breach.
- After the scandal, the charity hemorrhaged donors.
adjective
British English
- The haemorrhage control kit was essential.
- They faced a haemorrhage-level financial crisis.
American English
- The hemorrhage rate was unsustainable.
- She specialized in hemorrhage disorders.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- The cut on his leg caused a serious hemorrhage.
- The newspaper reported a hemorrhage of jobs from the city.
- The surgeon worked to control the massive internal hemorrhage.
- The country's economy is hemorrhaging foreign investment.
- A subdural hemorrhage often presents with a lucid interval followed by rapid neurological decline.
- The populist movement hemorrhaged credibility after its contradictory policy statements were exposed.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a HERO (sounds like 'hemo-') in a RAGE, causing massive, uncontrolled damage and loss.
Conceptual Metaphor
AN ORGANISATION/ENTITY IS A BODY; FINANCIAL LOSS/TALENT LOSS IS BLOOD LOSS.
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid using 'геморрой' (haemorrhoids), which is a specific medical condition. The direct translation is 'кровотечение' or 'кровопотеря'.
Common Mistakes
- Using it for trivial losses ('I hemorrhaged a pencil'). Confusing it with 'haemorrhoids'. Incorrectly spelling the British variant as 'hemorrhage'. Using as a noun when a verb is needed ('The budget was hemorrhage').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is the figurative use of 'hemorrhage' LEAST appropriate?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
While both involve blood loss, 'hemorrhage' typically implies a more severe, rapid, and often dangerous loss, sometimes internal. 'Bleeding' is a broader, more general term.
Yes. As a verb, it means 'to lose blood rapidly and copiously' or, figuratively, 'to lose (a resource) in large amounts rapidly' (e.g., 'The company hemorrhaged cash').
Both are correct. 'Haemorrhage' is the standard British English spelling. 'Hemorrhage' is the standard American English spelling. The pronunciation is the same.
Yes, this is a common and accepted figurative use, especially in business and journalism, meaning to lose money rapidly and uncontrollably.
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