bleach

American  

[bleech] / blitʃ /

verb (used with object)

• bleaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bleached,
  past participle,  past
• bleaching
  present participle

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.

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verb (used without object)

• bleaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bleached,
  past participle,  past
• bleaching
  present participle

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

• bleaches
  plural

1. a bleaching agent.

2. an act of bleaching.

3. degree of paleness achieved in bleaching.

bleach British  

/ bliːtʃ /

verb

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

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noun

1. a bleaching agent

2. the degree of whiteness resulting from bleaching

3. the act of bleaching

bleach Scientific  

/ blēch /

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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Synonym Usage

See whiten.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bleachability
  noun
• bleacher
  noun
• nonbleach
  noun
• overbleach
  verb
• rebleach
  verb
• bleachable
  adjective
• half-bleached
  adjective
• semibleached
  adjective
• unbleached
  adjective
• unbleaching
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bleaches
  plural

Participles

• bleaching
  present
• bleached
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bleach
  simple
• bleaches
  simple
• have bleached
  perfect
• has bleached
  perfect
• am bleaching
  progressive
• are bleaching
  progressive
• is bleaching
  progressive
• have been bleaching
  perfect progressive
• has been bleaching
  perfect progressive

Past

• bleached
  simple
• had bleached
  perfect
• was bleaching
  progressive
• were bleaching
  progressive
• had been bleaching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bleach
  simple
• will have bleached
  perfect
• will be bleaching
  progressive
• will have been bleaching
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of bleach

First recorded before 1050; Middle English blechen, Old English blǣcean, derivative of blāc “pale”; cognate with Old Norse bleikja, Old High German bleichēn

Explanation

To bleach is to whiten, or to strip of color. After many summers of use, the sun will bleach your favorite beach towel. You might bleach your white laundry, or bleach your dark brown hair until it's pale blonde. In both cases, you use bleach, a strong chemical solution that can often be found in laundry rooms and hair salons. The Old English root word is blæcan, "bleach" or "whiten," from a Germanic source it curiously shares with the word black.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bleach bleaches bleached bleaching

Investigators also found broken glass scattered through the home, a shattered microwave, and bleach wipes and spray bottles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

In 2017, they bought a former steel works and an abandoned bleach factory next door for $25 million and started hosting the Mirage in the lot between them.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2026

At 7:00 am, relatives brought packages: deodorant, toothpaste, soap and shampoo in labeled plastic bags, plus disinfectant and bleach -- provisions essential for maintaining hygiene in the latrines of tiny cells.

From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026

As part of the investigation, a BBC North West reporter was able to obtain a fraudulent teeth-whitening qualification, as well as being given "extreme" bleach and advised to "practise on friends and family".

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2025

“Then we have to spray it with bleach cleaner. There are little bleach spots all over the wood,” said Patti.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

At altitudes less than 1 km in the atmosphere, conditions are relatively warm and humid so smoke particles are often not very viscous and brown carbon bleaches quickly.

From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2022

Explore hands-on activities with the UW community, tour the Burke Museum fish collections, learn why coral bleaches and more at the Students Explore Aquatic Sciences’ open house 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

From Seattle Times ● May 19, 2022

The disinfectants, bleaches and sanitizers we’ve relied on during the pandemic can irritate our eyes, skin and throat, not to mention ruin some of our favorite clothing.

From Washington Post ● Aug. 23, 2021

At the end, the audiences from both parts returned to the bleaches for a bleak look at that ravishment.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 30, 2020

It lightens the polish to a bright vomit green and bleaches the carpet surrounding it.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

"If you're being bleached before you've even recovered and been able to produce juveniles again, then that's only a downwards trajectory from there," said Oakley.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

Liu was older, 7 inches taller, with bleached hair and piercings, practically unrecognizable from the wispy child she’d been at U.S. nationals in 2019.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 20, 2026

Linda Harman, an independent councillor on Ashford Borough Council said the site "completely bleached the sky".

From BBC ● Dec. 17, 2025

“You promised you’d be nice,” the Bride teases when he makes fun of her groom’s bleached hair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

His skin radiated a reddish copper glow of tan, his brown hair had been a little bleached by the sun, and I noticed that the tan made his eyes shine with a cool blue-green fire.

From "A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

Scientists have already connected them with widespread coral bleaching, large-scale deaths of marine organisms, harmful algal blooms and major disruptions to fisheries and aquaculture.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

By manipulating each tank's temperature and pH levels, scientists can simulate future heatwaves and induce coral bleaching to see how fish and other organisms adapt.

From Barron's ● Jul. 29, 2026

Wildfires, floods, melting ice caps, heat waves, the bleaching of ocean reefs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

There are some corals globally that have proven resilient to warmer waters, but they cannot make up for the losses caused by rounds of bleaching.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

The yaller mule was gone from the town except for the porch talk, and for the children visiting his bleaching bones now and then in the spirit of adventure.

From "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston

Related Words

• lighten