as in fading
to make white or whiter by removing color
bleached the stained shirt back to its original white
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Recent Examples of bleaching
The figure skater actually began bleaching her own hair with a paintbrush—and only brought in a professional right before the 2026 Winter Olympics.
—
Audrey Noble, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2026
Fierce sunlight bleaching the stones of the old city, blinding the passengers as porters in white kaffiyehs and djellabas stack their portmanteaus on donkey carts.
—Literary Hub, 16 Feb. 2026
His inability to recognize the oxymoron makes Cole’s introspection on this topic feel less like a genuine reckoning and more like a feeble attempt at bleaching out the darkest stains of his career.
—Benny Sun, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
For White, Bleach-Safe Clothing Gagliardi says to always avoid bleaching clothing made from materials like wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex—even if the item is white.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 6 Feb. 2026
Some dishwasher tablets include bleaching agents and rinse aids that can keep your clothes from cleaning properly or even stain them.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2025
More than that, the YouTuber decided to rid her face of eyebrows, bleaching the hairs above her eyes to match the hue of her hair.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
For example, coral reefs are bleaching more often and dying due to ocean warming and acidification, undermining fisheries, marine biodiversity and economic sectors such as tourism.
—Lauren Gifford, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The pic also showed off Jennifer Aniston’s money piece highlights, the face-framing way to give yourself a bit of a blonde glow without bleaching your whole head, sort of the way a ring light illuminates you from the front.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 19 Aug. 2025
Audrey Noble, Vogue, 19 Feb. 2026
Fierce sunlight bleaching the stones of the old city, blinding the passengers as porters in white kaffiyehs and djellabas stack their portmanteaus on donkey carts.
—Literary Hub, 16 Feb. 2026
His inability to recognize the oxymoron makes Cole’s introspection on this topic feel less like a genuine reckoning and more like a feeble attempt at bleaching out the darkest stains of his career.
—Benny Sun, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
For White, Bleach-Safe Clothing Gagliardi says to always avoid bleaching clothing made from materials like wool, silk, mohair, leather, and spandex—even if the item is white.
—Caroline Lubinsky, Martha Stewart, 6 Feb. 2026
Some dishwasher tablets include bleaching agents and rinse aids that can keep your clothes from cleaning properly or even stain them.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2025
More than that, the YouTuber decided to rid her face of eyebrows, bleaching the hairs above her eyes to match the hue of her hair.
—Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
For example, coral reefs are bleaching more often and dying due to ocean warming and acidification, undermining fisheries, marine biodiversity and economic sectors such as tourism.
—Lauren Gifford, Space.com, 25 Aug. 2025
The pic also showed off Jennifer Aniston’s money piece highlights, the face-framing way to give yourself a bit of a blonde glow without bleaching your whole head, sort of the way a ring light illuminates you from the front.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 19 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleaching
Verb
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He’s spurred to do so, however, by Roza (Michelle Tzontchev), a single parent who now tellingly goes by the anglicized Rose, but is troubled by her growing distance (and more so, her young son’s) from her cultural roots — and her fading memories of a mother who didn’t travel and change with them.—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
16 Feb. 2026
-
The engines fading into something that felt like disbelief.—
Mike Bianchi,
The Orlando Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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With Demna‘s first runway show for Gucci only a few weeks away, sentiment seems to be brightening around prospects for Kering‘s linchpin luxury property, which accounts for 39 percent of group sales.—
Miles Socha,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
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This will help the aurora’s colors maintain a lush appearance without brightening the black sky.—
Lydia Price,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The files include jokey exchanges and emails planning visits to Epstein properties, teeth-whitening appointments and shopping trips.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
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The files include jokey exchanges and emails planning visits to Epstein properties, teeth-whitening appointments and shopping trips.—
Jill Lawless,
Fortune,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bleaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleaching. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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