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

Other pictures captured include the Kylie Cosmetics founder in a Dolce & Gabbana bra, Hermès pants, a belt by Balenciaga, dangling earrings by David Webb, and black boots that hit just below her knees, her eyebrows bleached for the shot. —Rachel Burchfield, InStyle, 11 Mar. 2026

Corals bleached and their population nose-dived, especially in the Keys, where water temperatures hit a Jacuzzi-like 101 degrees. —Arkansas Online, 8 Mar. 2026

Noun

There is no need to use bleach, soap or a produce wash — fruits and vegetables are porous and can absorb those chemicals, the FDA said. —Sandee Lamotte, CNN Money, 11 Mar. 2026

Spring cleaning used to mean a weekend of heavy lifting, scrubbing and a lingering scent of bleach throughout the home. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026

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