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bleach

[ bleech ]
/ blitʃ /
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See synonyms for: bleach / bleached on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
to make whiter or lighter in color, as by exposure to sunlight or a chemical agent; remove the color from.
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)
to become whiter or lighter in color.
noun
a bleaching agent.
degree of paleness achieved in bleaching.
an act of bleaching.
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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

synonym study for bleach

1. See whiten.

OTHER WORDS FROM bleach

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use bleach in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bleach

bleach
/ (bliːtʃ) /

verb
to make or become white or colourless, as by exposure to sunlight, by the action of chemical agents, etc
noun
a bleaching agent
the degree of whiteness resulting from bleaching
the act of bleaching

Derived forms of bleach

bleachable, adjectivebleacher, noun

Word Origin for bleach

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

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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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