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 of bleach

Verb

• fade
• brighten
• decolorize
• dull
• 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

Be aware that whitening toothpaste might bleach anything with dye, so be especially cautious. —Jolie Kerr, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2025

Note that hydrogen peroxide can bleach color, so do the test first. —Daley Quinn, Southern Living, 4 Dec. 2025

Noun

To remove any potential mold or bacteria in your humidifier’s tank, fill the tank with clean water and add a teaspoon of bleach. —Kamron Sanders, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Dec. 2025

Disinfect pruners and loppers by soaking them in a mixture of 1 part bleach and 9 parts water for 30 minutes, or spray the blades with rubbing alcohol. —Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 3 Dec. 2025

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

Rhymes for bleach

• beach
• beech
• breach
• breech
• each
• keech
• leach
• leech
• meech
• peach
• preach
• reach

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