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View synonyms for

bleach

[bleech]

verb (used with object)

  1. to make whiter or lighter in color, such as by exposure to sunlight or a chemical agent; remove the color from.

    Do you think she bleaches her hair?

  2. to cause (coral) to undergo a loss of color that indicates declining health: caused by a loss of the algae that normally live symbiotically in the coral’s tissues.

    In sufficient concentrations, the chemicals in certain sunscreens can bleach coral.

  3. Photography.to convert (the silver image of a negative or print) to a silver halide, either to remove the image or to change its tone.



verb (used without object)

  1. to become whiter or lighter in color.

    The grass in the fields gradually bleached as winter approached, leaving the landscape pale and drab.

  2. (of coral) to undergo a loss of color that indicates declining health: caused by a loss of the algae that normally live symbiotically in the coral’s tissues.

    Coral reefs are bleaching due to ocean pollution and rising sea temperatures.

noun

  1. a bleaching agent.

  2. an act of bleaching.

  3. degree of paleness achieved in bleaching.

bleach

/ ːʃ /

verb

  1. to make or become white or colourless, as by exposure to sunlight, by the action of chemical agents, etc

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a bleaching agent

  2. the degree of whiteness resulting from bleaching

  3. the act of bleaching

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

bleach

  1. A chemical agent used to whiten or remove color from textiles, paper, food, and other substances and materials. Chlorine, sodium hypochlorite, and hydrogen peroxide are bleaches. Bleaches remove color by oxidation or reduction.

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Other Word Forms

  • bleachable adjective
  • bleachability noun
  • half-bleached adjective
  • nonbleach noun
  • overbleach verb
  • rebleach verb
  • semibleached adjective
  • unbleached adjective
  • unbleaching adjective
  • ˈ𲹳 noun
  • ˈ𲹳󲹲 adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bleach1

First recorded before 1050; Middle English blechen, Old English ǣ𲹲, derivative of “pale”; cognate with Old Norse bleikja, Old High German 𾱳ŧ
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Word History and Origins

Origin of bleach1

Old English ǣ ; related to Old Norse bleikja , Old High German bleih pale
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Synonym Study

See whiten.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

To build his character’s look, Hamill asked the hair and makeup team to bleach out all the color from his hair and mustache, then tried on a few pairs of glasses.

From

In which case, he says, half-jokingly, that possible organoid overlords would be easier to defeat because "there is always bleach" to pour over the fragile neurons.

From

“He demanded that I drink bleach to kill our unborn child,” Jackson wrote about the June incident.

From

In chats via the Telegram social media platform, he described how he had an "information kit" which included a blowtorch, pliers, gaffer tape, a screwdriver, bleach and a syringe.

From

Even for people who have years of practice declaring Trump a “genius” while he prattles on about bleach injections or pet-eating immigrants, it's getting harder to feign ignorance about basic realities.

From

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