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
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
By midmorning in the Central Valley, the light turns hard and white, bleaching the sky and flattening every shadow.
—Dean Florez, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Similarly, bleaching with chemicals like permanganate or hypochlorite, which consumes substantial water, can be replaced by ozone bleaching using air, significantly reducing water usage and simplifying the drying process.
—Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 5 Dec. 2024
To keep their golden color, sultanas are treated with sulfur dioxide, a bleaching preservative that prevents them from oxidizing (turning brown) and retains their quality and uniform color.
—Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 29 Sep. 2024
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
By midmorning in the Central Valley, the light turns hard and white, bleaching the sky and flattening every shadow.
—Dean Florez, Mercury News, 19 Aug. 2025
Similarly, bleaching with chemicals like permanganate or hypochlorite, which consumes substantial water, can be replaced by ozone bleaching using air, significantly reducing water usage and simplifying the drying process.
—Sj Studio, Sourcing Journal, 5 Dec. 2024
To keep their golden color, sultanas are treated with sulfur dioxide, a bleaching preservative that prevents them from oxidizing (turning brown) and retains their quality and uniform color.
—Lauren O'Connor, Ms, Health, 29 Sep. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleaching
Verb
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This revealed that, even as the X-ray emissions of 4U 1630-472 were fading, the system was still ejecting material at an incredible 20 million mph (32 million kph) — about 3% the speed of light, and 15,000 times faster than the top speed of an F-16 jet fighter!—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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All of these weaknesses are either gone or fading fast.—
Michael Foster,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Several bright craters are visible brightening the dark lunar maria that cover swathes of the lunar surface, with impact ejecta streaking outward from some of the younger sites.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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Support her post-grad skin with brightening serums, refillable lipsticks, and edge-control that actually holds during interviews and celebrations.—
Larry Stansbury,
Essence,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Fabric whitening solutions like bleach or hydrogen peroxide work through a process called oxidization.—
Andrew Paul,
Popular Science,
3 Sep. 2025
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That means everything from teeth whitening to fillings and full smile makeovers.—
Yola Robert,
Forbes.com,
20 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bleaching.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleaching. Accessed 13 Sep. 2025.
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