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bleacher

American  
[blee-cher] / ˈbli tʃər /

noun

bleachers plural
  1. Usually bleachers. a typically roofless section of inexpensive and unreserved seats in tiers, especially at an open-air athletic stadium.

  2. a person or thing that bleaches.

  3. a container, as a vat or tank, used in bleaching.


Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of bleacher

1540–50; 1885–90 bleacher for def. 1; bleach + -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.

See Examples For:

I used to like bleacher seats but won’t sit there again — way too loud right under the sound system.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 28, 2025

Fans were ready to leap into the bleacher aisles as he elevated above a group of Washington Prep players.

From Los Angeles Times Mar. 3, 2024

The team recently unveiled a new logo for the Dawg Pound — the team’s notorious bleacher section — that was voted on by fans.

From Seattle Times Jul. 18, 2023

Concrete stairs are cracked with bolts so loose bleacher seats rock back and forth.

From Washington Times Jun. 26, 2023

But Dray starts pulling her down the bleacher steps.

From "American Street" by Ibi Zoboi

There are also the legions of sponsors and guests, who follow the race from bleachers at the summit and nibble on petits fours while the competition rages in the background.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 24, 2026

McGinn and his goggles have gone worldwide in recent days, with his name ringing out on the streets of Boston and on the Fenway Park bleachers.

From BBC Jun. 18, 2026

Referencing original black-and-white photos, Jackson designed a massive 120-foot-long set, complete with a stage, seating, bleachers and mahogany flooring, to be filled with up to 500 extras.

From Los Angeles Times Jun. 17, 2026

A few families in the stands, if there were bleachers at all.

From Slate Jun. 11, 2026

The field hockey girls took the bleachers on the other side of the gym.

From "Crash" by Jerry Spinelli

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