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Synonyms

bleeder

American  
[blee-der] / ˈbli dər /

noun

  1. a person who bleeds abnormally because of low clotting rate; hemophiliac.

  2. a person or animal that bleeds easily, especially an athlete or racehorse.

  3. a person who draws blood from a sick person; phlebotomist.

  4. Slang. a person who drains another of money, resources, etc.; parasite or usurer.

  5. Metallurgy. an ingot or casting from which some metal has escaped.

  6. Also called bleeder resistor.  Electricity. a resistor that is connected across a power supply for voltage regulation and to dissipate the charge remaining in capacitors when the power is discontinued.

  7. Also called bleeder valve.  a valve or opening for draining a tank, tubing, etc.

  8. British Slang.

    1. a despicable person.

    2. a person, especially a man; fellow.

bleeder British  
/ ˈbliːdə /

noun

  1. slang

    1. derogatory a despicable person

      a rotten bleeder

    2. any person; fellow

      where's the bleeder gone?

  2. pathol a nontechnical name for a haemophiliac

"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

Etymology

Origin of bleeder

First recorded in 1780–90; bleed + -er 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The Bayonne Bleeder - Bayonne being the New Jersey town that Wepner still calls home - was a fighter who lived up to his billing.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2023

But the Bayonne Bleeder has enjoyed a comeback of sorts in recent years, as the subject of three films.

From New York Times • Apr. 6, 2019

As her successor, a redhead named Linda, Naomi Watts is in tough and unkiddable form, and her verdict on the Bleeder is at once harsh, precise, and touched with affectionate hope.

From The New Yorker • May 5, 2017

Wepner was that ready-made underdog story, a garrulous journeyman known as the Bayonne Bleeder who withstood — and delivered — enough blows to become New Jersey’s heavyweight champion in 1974.

From Los Angeles Times • May 4, 2017

The house with inscription,   "The School-House," is empty, In ruins and deserted;   And near stands the barber's, A hut with one window,   From which hangs the sign-board Of "Barber and Bleeder."

From Who Can Be Happy and Free in Russia? by Soskice, Juliet M.

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.