bleach

1 of 2

verb

ˈblēch

bleached; bleaching; bleaches

Synonyms of bleach next

transitive verb

: to remove color or stains from

: to make whiter or lighter especially by physical or chemical removal of color

bleach clothing

the sun had bleached her hair

: to remove, make dull, or sanitize as if by removing color

bleaches colonialism of its genocidal legacy—

H. A. Giroux

intransitive verb

: to grow white or lose color

of coral : to expel symbiotic zooxanthellae exposing a white skeleton

bleachable

ˈblē-chə-bəl

adjective

bleach

2 of 2

noun

: the act or process of bleaching

: a preparation used in bleaching

: the degree of whiteness obtained by bleaching

Examples of bleach in a Sentence

Verb bones bleached white by the sun She bleached her hair blonde.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

In Los Angeles in December, Paul George bleached their 22-point lead with a game-winning 3 and earlier this month LeBron James got the last say in a double-OT bout with two game-winning free throws. —

Shayna Rubin, The Mercury News, 11 Feb. 2024 Four years ago, researchers near Australia’s Great Barrier Reef carried out a similar study in hopes that cloud brightening could protect the region’s corals from bleaching in over-warm waters. —

Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 10 Apr. 2024 See all Example Sentences for bleach

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bleach.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English blechen, going back to Old English blǣcan, going back to Germanic *blaikjan- (whence also Middle Dutch bleken "to bleach, whiten," Old High German bleichen "to make pale," Old Icelandic bleikja "to bleach"), weak verb derivative of *blaik- "bright" (whence Old English blāc "bright, shining, pale," Old Saxon blēk, Middle Dutch bleec, Old High German bleih, Old Icelandic bleikr), going back to dialectal Indo-European *b^hlei̯ǵ-, whence also Old Church Slavic blĭštati sę, bliscati sę "to sparkle, glitter," bliskŭ "flash (of lightning)," Lithuanian blỹksti "to become white or pale," bliskė́ti, bliškė́ti "to shine, sparkle"

Note: See also note at black entry 1.

Noun

derivative of bleach entry 1.

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun

1746, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler

The first known use of bleach was before the 12th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bleach.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleach. Accessed 3 May. 2024.

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Kids Definition

bleach

1 of 2 verb

ˈblēch

: to remove color or stains from

: to make whiter or lighter

: to grow white : lose color

bleach

2 of 2 noun

: the act or process of bleaching

: a chemical used in bleaching

Last Updated: 26 Apr 2024 - Updated example sentences

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bleach

verb

noun

Synonyms

Examples of bleach in a Sentence

Word History

Dictionary Entries Near bleach

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition