bleach

1 of 2

verb

ˈblēch 

bleached; bleaching; bleaches

transitive verb

1

: to remove color or stains from

2

a

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

bleach clothing

the sun had bleached her hair

b

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

bleaches colonialism of its genocidal legacy

—H. A. Giroux

intransitive verb

1

: to grow white or lose color

2

of coral : to expel symbiotic zooxanthellae exposing a white skeleton

bleachable

ˈblē-chə-bəl 

adjective

bleach

2 of 2

noun

1

: the act or process of bleaching

2

: a preparation used in bleaching

3

: the degree of whiteness obtained by bleaching

Synonyms

Verb

• blanch
• blench
• decolorize
• dull
• fade
• pale
• snow
• wash out
• whiten

Examples of bleach in a Sentence

Verb

bones bleached white by the sun

She bleached her hair blonde.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

The fading of the bezel insert tends to send some collectors head-over-heals if it’s especially ghosted (sun bleached), while excessive case polishing (which was common in the five-digit era) will drive prices downward. —Allen Farmelo, Robb Report, 5 Sep. 2024

Her brows have been bleached to a warm blonde, too, and her skin is practically glowing right off the screen. —Kara Nesvig, Allure, 16 Aug. 2024

Noun

Our experts also recommend rinsing and washing the outside of your pumpkins with 1-2% bleach solution and water to help stave off rot. —Christianna Silva, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Sep. 2024

Nexxus Amino Bond Buy Now for $16 Thanks to this bond-building combo which contains strengthening amino acids and keratin protein, no one will know that you heat-style, color, bleach or all of the above. —Jackie Fields, Peoplemag, 11 Sep. 2024

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

Kids Definition

bleach

1 of 2 verb

ˈblēch 

1

: to remove color or stains from

2

: to make whiter or lighter

3

: to grow white : lose color

bleach

2 of 2 noun

1

: the act or process of bleaching

2

: a chemical used in bleaching