Meaning & use
haemorrhaging
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“haemorrhaging” is a form of “haemorrhage”.
Meanings
verbintransitivemedical
Losing a large amount of blood from the body in a short time, from an injury or illness.
Grammar: -ing form of an intransitive verb: the patient is haemorrhaging.
Patterns
- haemorrhaging from something
- haemorrhaging internally
The driver was haemorrhaging badly when the ambulance arrived.
Doctors found that the patient was haemorrhaging internally.
She was haemorrhaging after the operation and needed a transfusion.
verbtransitive or intransitivefigurative
Losing something valuable, such as money, workers or customers, quickly and in large amounts.
Grammar: Often takes an object: the firm is haemorrhaging cash. It can also stand alone.
Patterns
- haemorrhaging money
- haemorrhaging staff
The company is haemorrhaging money after the failed launch.
The school is haemorrhaging its best teachers.
The party was haemorrhaging support before the election.
Word forms
| base form | haemorrhage |
|---|---|
| third person singular | haemorrhages |
| past tense | haemorrhaged |
| past participle | haemorrhaged |
Common combinations
- haemorrhaging money
- The airline was haemorrhaging money every month.
- haemorrhaging staff
- The hospital is haemorrhaging staff to private clinics.
- haemorrhaging cash
- The start-up is haemorrhaging cash.
- haemorrhaging internally
- The scan showed she was haemorrhaging internally.
- haemorrhaging support
- The government is haemorrhaging support in rural areas.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bleeding
- Bleeding is the everyday word and can describe small losses, while haemorrhaging means severe and dangerous loss.
- losing
- Losing is neutral, whereas haemorrhaging stresses a fast, serious drain.
- draining
- Draining suggests a steady reduction, while haemorrhaging suggests a sudden, damaging flow.
Opposites
Word family
- haemorrhage noun
- a heavy loss of blood, or of something valuable
- haemorrhagic adjective
- connected with bleeding
- haemorrhaged verb
- past form of haemorrhage
- haemophilia noun
- a disorder in which blood does not clot properly
Commonly confused: haemorrhaging or haemorrhoids?
haemorrhaging vs haemorrhoids
Haemorrhoids are swollen veins near the anus, and are unrelated to heavy bleeding in general.
Practice
The airline was ____ millions of pounds a month because few passengers were flying.
Choose one answer.
Haemorrhaging is used figuratively for losing money quickly. Hoarding means storing up, the opposite of the situation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “haemorrhaging”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.