bleach

[ bleech ]
See synonyms for: bleachbleached on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to make whiter or lighter in color, as by exposure to sunlight or a chemical agent; remove the color from.

  2. 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.

noun
  1. a bleaching agent.

  2. degree of paleness achieved in bleaching.

  1. an act of bleaching.

Origin of bleach

1
First recorded before 1050; Middle English blechen,Old English blǣcean, derivative of blāc “pale”; cognate with Old Norse bleikja,Old High German bleichēn

synonym study For bleach

1. See whiten.

Other words from bleach

  • bleach·a·ble, adjective
  • bleach·a·bil·i·ty, noun
  • half-bleached, adjective
  • non·bleach, noun
  • o·ver·bleach, verb
  • re·bleach, verb
  • sem·i·bleached, adjective
  • un·bleached, adjective
  • un·bleach·ing, adjective

Words Nearby bleach

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bleach in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bleach

bleach

/ (bliːtʃ) /


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

noun
  1. a bleaching agent

  2. the degree of whiteness resulting from bleaching

  1. the act of bleaching

Origin of bleach

1
Old English blǣcan; related to Old Norse bleikja, Old High German bleih pale

Derived forms of bleach

  • bleachable, adjective
  • bleacher, noun

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

Scientific definitions for bleach

bleach

[ 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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