bleed

1 of 2

verb

bled ˈbled How to pronounce bleed (audio) ; bleeding

intransitive verb

1
a
: to emit or lose blood
b
: to sacrifice one's blood especially in battle
2
: to feel anguish, pain, or sympathy
a heart that bleeds at a friend's misfortune
3
a
: to escape by oozing or flowing (as from a wound)
b
: to spread into or through something gradually : seep
foreign policy bleeds into economic policyJ. B. Judis
4
: to give up some constituent (such as sap or dye) by exuding or diffusing it
5
a
: to pay out or give money
b
: to have money extorted
6
: to be printed so as to run off one or more edges of the page after trimming

transitive verb

1
: to remove or draw blood from
2
: to get or extort money from especially over a prolonged period
3
: to draw sap from (a tree)
4
a
: to extract or let out some or all of a contained substance from
bleed a brake line
b
: to extract or cause to escape from a container
c
: to diminish gradually
usually used with off
a pilot bleeding off airspeed
d
: to lose rapidly and uncontrollably
the company was bleeding money
e
: sap
cost overruns … bleed other programsAlex Roland
5
: to cause (something, such as a printed illustration) to bleed

bleed

2 of 2

noun

1
: printed matter (such as an illustration) that bleeds
also : the part of a bleed trimmed off
2
: the escape of blood from vessels : hemorrhage
Phrases
bleed white
: to drain of blood or resources

Examples of bleed in a Sentence

Verb She was bleeding from the face and hands. Doctors used to bleed their patients in an effort to cure them. We bled air from the tank. You'll need to bleed the car's brake lines.
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.
Verb
The point of these meds is to prevent certain clots, but that can up your risk of bruising and bleeding too. Erica Sloan, SELF, 28 July 2025 Police found Sardinha dead and Charron bleeding from chest and neck wounds. Christine Pelisek, People.com, 28 July 2025
Noun
His medical records, provided to reporters by the family, list a sitting tolerance of one hour. Webb — who had been originally hospitalized after a brain bleed, a type of stroke — developed skin damage known as a pressure sore, or bedsore, on his bottom, the lawsuit said. Kff Health News, Oc Register, 17 July 2025 An offensive run-through bleeds into a drive-and-kick drill into a closeout and recovery drill into a protect-the-baseline drill, separated only by a whistle. Brian Hamilton, New York Times, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for bleed

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bleden, from Old English blēdan, from blōd blood

First Known Use

Verb

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

Noun

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bleed was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bleed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleed. Accessed 3 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

bleed

verb
ˈblēd
bled
ˈbled
; bleeding
1
: to lose or shed blood
2
: to be wounded
bleed for one's country
3
: to feel pain or deep sympathy
my heart bleeds for them
4
: to ooze or flow from a cut surface
5
a
: to draw liquid or air from
bleed a carburetor
b
: to run when wetted
dyes that bleed
6
: to get or force money from

Medical Definition

bleed

1 of 2 verb
bled ˈbled How to pronounce bleed (audio) ; bleeding

intransitive verb

1
: to emit or lose blood
hemophiliacs often bleed severely from the slightest scratch
2
: to escape by oozing or flowing (as from a wound)

transitive verb

: to remove or draw blood from

bleed

2 of 2 noun
: the escape of blood from vessels : hemorrhage
a massive gastrointestinal bleed

More from Merriam-Webster on bleed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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