bleeding

American  

[blee-ding] / ˈbli dɪŋ /

noun

1. the act, fact, or process of losing blood or having blood flow.

2. the act or process of drawing blood from a person, especially surgically; bloodletting.

3. the extension of color beyond an edge or border, especially so as to combine with a contiguous color or to affect an adjacent area.

---

adjective

1. sending forth blood.

   a bleeding sore.

2. feeling, expressing, or characterized by extreme or excessive anguish and compassion.

3. British Slang. (used as an intensifier).

   bleeding fool.

adverb

1. British Slang. (used as an intensifier).

   a bleeding silly idea.

bleeding British  

/ ˈbliːdɪŋ /

adjective

1. (intensifier)

   a bleeding fool

   it's bleeding beautiful

---

Other Word Forms

• nonbleeding adjective
• unbleeding adjective

Etymology

Origin of bleeding

1175–1225; Middle English (noun and adj.); see bleed, -ing ¹, -ing ²

Example Sentences

ProPublica also investigated the case of Porsha Ngumezi, who died at Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital in 2023 after bleeding heavily during a miscarriage at 11 weeks.

From Salon • Apr. 20, 2026

But the deregulation they won did little to stanch the bleeding.

From Slate • Apr. 20, 2026

The common thread is that malignant cells overtake the marrow—the tissue that produces white blood cells to fight infection, red blood cells to carry oxygen, and platelets to prevent bleeding.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

The drugs targeted rapidly dividing cancer cells in the marrow, but in doing so further damaged an already compromised blood- and immune-making system, often leaving patients defenseless against infection and bleeding.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 19, 2026

It was not until the icy February morning that Christoffels stumbled into the dining room with a bleeding cheek and a torn coat that the truth came out.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

Related Words

• benevolent
• charitable
• humane
• merciful
• sympathetic
• warm
• warmhearted