bleach

American  

[bleech] / blitʃ /

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.

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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 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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Related Words

See whiten.

Other Word Forms

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

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

To that end, these cargos are as intentional and well-lived as a perfectly executed skate trick: they’re hand-dyed, but also arrive bearing natural bleach, oil and scuff marks.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 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

“They’re getting that good California sun and are all bleach blonde,” said Jessica West, an environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 17, 2025

Molly said she had to take a "very strong" course of antibiotics she likened to bleach to treat the infection.

From BBC • Aug. 27, 2025

We were swept up in the spin and in the smell of metal and vomit and bleach.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Related Words

• lighten