bleed
Americanverb (used without object)
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to lose blood from the vascular system, either internally into the body or externally through a natural orifice or break in the skin.
to bleed from the mouth.
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(of injured tissue, excrescences, etc.) to exude blood.
a wart that is bleeding.
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(of a plant) to exude sap, resin, etc., from a wound.
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(of dye or paint) to run or become diffused.
All the colors bled when the dress was washed.
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(of a liquid) to ooze or flow out.
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to feel pity, sorrow, or anguish.
My heart bleeds for you. A nation bleeds for its dead heroes.
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to suffer wounds or death, as in battle.
The soldiers bled for the cause.
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(of a broadcast signal) to interfere with another signal.
CB transmissions bleeding over into walkie-talkies.
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Printing. (of printed matter) to run off the edges of a page, either by design or through mutilation caused by too close trimming.
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Slang. to pay out money, as when overcharged or threatened with extortion.
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Metallurgy. (of a cooling ingot or casting) to have molten metal force its way through the solidified exterior because of internal gas pressure.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to lose blood, especially surgically.
Doctors no longer bleed their patients to reduce fever.
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to lose or emit (blood or sap).
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to drain or draw sap, water, electricity, etc., from (something).
to bleed a pipeline of excess air.
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to remove trapped air from (as an automotive brake system) by opening a bleeder valve.
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to obtain an excessive amount from; extort money from.
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Printing.
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to permit (printed illustrations or ornamentation) to run off the page or sheet.
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to trim the margin of (a book or sheet) so closely as to mutilate the text or illustration.
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noun
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Printing.
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a sheet or page margin trimmed so as to mutilate the text or illustration.
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a part thus trimmed off.
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Medicine/Medical. an instance of bleeding; hemorrhage.
an intracranial bleed.
adjective
verb phrase
idioms
verb
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(intr) to lose or emit blood
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(tr) to remove or draw blood from (a person or animal)
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(intr) to be injured or die, as for a cause or one's country
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(of plants) to exude (sap or resin), esp from a cut
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informal (tr) to obtain relatively large amounts of money, goods, etc, esp by extortion
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(tr) to draw liquid or gas from (a container or enclosed system)
to bleed the hydraulic brakes
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(intr) (of dye or paint) to run or become mixed, as when wet
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to print or be printed so that text, illustrations, etc, run off the trimmed page
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(tr) to trim (the edges of a printed sheet) so closely as to cut off some of the printed matter
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(intr) civil engineering building trades (of a mixture) to exude (a liquid) during compaction, such as water from cement
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to extort gradually all the resources of a person or thing
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used to express sympathetic grief, but often used ironically
noun
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printing
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an illustration or sheet trimmed so that some matter is bled
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( as modifier )
a bleed page
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printing the trimmings of a sheet that has been bled
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bleedsimple
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bleedssimple
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have bledperfect
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has bledperfect
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am bleedingprogressive
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are bleedingprogressive
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is bleedingprogressive
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have been bleedingperfect progressive
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has been bleedingperfect progressive
Past
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bledsimple
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had bledperfect
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was bleedingprogressive
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were bleedingprogressive
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had been bleedingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of bleed
before 1000; Middle English bleden, Old English blēdan, derivative of blōd blood
Explanation
When you bleed, blood runs or oozes out of your body. Cutting your finger when you're chopping vegetables can make you bleed. Some kind of illness or injury, particularly one that cuts or scrapes your skin, can make you bleed. In long ago days of medical care, doctors would deliberately bleed patients to treat specific conditions, though today we mainly bleed due to accidents. You can also use bleed to mean "drain of money or resources," as when a greedy relative bleeds his wealthy grandmother, using her fortune to buy himself fancy cars.
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:
The venue’s uppermost seats sit roughly 400 feet from the stage, and the surrounding residential neighborhoods make noise bleed a genuine concern.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 6, 2026
Alfie has now been transferred to Addenbrooke's and his family are waiting to hear if he will need back surgery and whether the bleed on his brain will have any long-term implications.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
WSJLI: So is the hope that you are shifting the culture and injecting Oatly into drink culture in these bigger markets, then having that bleed into the consumer mindset across the board?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026
But SpaceX's massive spending on cutting-edge artificial intelligence is expected to bleed money -- at least for several years.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
If you bleed into the third space, you bleed into the space between the skin and the flesh.
From "The Hot Zone" by Richard Preston
How long can both sides keep the friction and diplomacy running on separate tracks before one bleeds into the other?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
"We look at this similarly to what happened with Belgium's golden generation a few years ago - a relatively small nation that simply bleeds football," said Korssund.
From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026
The high doses raise risks of a side effect that can cause brain bleeds and swelling.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
Sunlight bleeds in from the window where the sun is setting over the Venice Canals.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
The sun bleeds across the sky, leaving a garish trail of reds and oranges and yellows.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
"I bled a normal amount but noticed a big increase in fatigue, dizziness, anxiety and sleepless nights," said Michaela Finn, from north London, who was on her period during the late June heatwave.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
Higher gas prices, for their part, have bled over into other parts of the economy, while the temporary closure of the vital Strait of Hormuz also raised the cost of fertilizer and other critical chemicals.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
And the losses have bled through to Asia, where tech-heavy Seoul and Tokyo -- which have led the region's surge this year -- sank from record highs.
From Barron's ● Jun. 5, 2026
As the crowd swelled and the sound bled, Do LaB was moved to a far corner of the terrace.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2026
I practiced dancing until my feet bled and my knees felt like water balloons.
From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez
The result can be swelling, bruising, bleeding, blisters and discoloration of the skin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Non-tradable inflation eased to 3.4% year over year, and core measures excluding food and energy held at 2.5%, “showing little sign that the fuel shock is bleeding into other prices,” Nguyen said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
The upbeat take from Trivariate wasn’t enough to stem the bleeding, however.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026
Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever that spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids, can cause severe bleeding and organ failure.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
He pulled himself along, faster and faster, careless of his bleeding hands and aching legs, toward the source of that icy wind and the glimmer of white that beckoned him.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
