tourniquet

noun

tour·​ni·​quet ˈtu̇r-ni-kət How to pronounce tourniquet (audio) ˈtər- How to pronounce tourniquet (audio)
: a device (such as a band of rubber) that checks bleeding or blood flow by compressing blood vessels

Examples of tourniquet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Alexis Scott-Windham said in an interview with NBC News on Friday that her mother, Tryphena Scott-Windham, told her friends to make a tourniquet to control her blood flow. NBC News, 4 Jan. 2025 Following widespread adoption of this tourniquet, deaths from extremity bleeding dropped by two-thirds. Arthur L. Kellermann, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025 On Thursday, tourniquets, disposable gloves, police tape and blood stains covered the sidewalk in front of the venue. Mike Ives, New York Times, 2 Jan. 2025 Medics who had already arrived at the scene ran to assist the officer who was laying on the ground and another IMPD officer applied a tourniquet to Shane's gunshot wound. Jade Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 31 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for tourniquet 

Word History

Etymology

French, turnstile, tourniquet, from tourner to turn, from Old French — more at turn

First Known Use

1695, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tourniquet was in 1695

Dictionary Entries Near tourniquet

Cite this Entry

“Tourniquet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tourniquet. Accessed 6 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

tourniquet

noun
tour·​ni·​quet ˈtu̇r-ni-kət How to pronounce tourniquet (audio) ˈtər- How to pronounce tourniquet (audio)
: a device (as a band of rubber) used to stop or slow bleeding or blood flow by compressing blood vessels

Medical Definition

tourniquet

noun
tour·​ni·​quet ˈtu̇r-ni-kət How to pronounce tourniquet (audio) ˈtər- How to pronounce tourniquet (audio)
: a device (as a bandage twisted tight with a stick) to check bleeding or blood flow

More from Merriam-Webster on tourniquet

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