as in bleaches
to make white or whiter by removing color
years of sunlight had almost completely whitened the flag
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Recent Examples of whitens
According to Hill, good old-fashioned sunlight naturally kills bacteria, refreshes items, and whitens fabrics.
—
Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whitens
Verb
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His owner, Hannah Gleason from Oklahoma, told Newsweek that the merle gene isn’t a coloring gene rather than a gene that bleaches the fur and causes lack of pigmentation which can lead to birth defects, blindness, deafness, or sometimes all three.—
Maria Azzurra Volpe,
MSNBC Newsweek,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The kind that organizations get judged on long after the applause fades.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Smith Collection | Archive Photos | Getty Images Retail traders stampeded into Allbirds after the troubled shoemaker slapped an artificial intelligence label on its business, a set-up that market history suggests rarely ends well once the initial hype fades.—
Yun Li,
CNBC,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Lush, vibrant and full of life, California Tropicals instantly brightens any space while adding fresh, feel-good energy.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Apr. 2026
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Eye cream brightens eyes and adds moisture back into your delicate skin.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Sacbee.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whitens.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whitens. Accessed 21 Apr. 2026.
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