bleach

American  

[bleech] / blitʃ /

verb (used with object)

• bleaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bleached,
  past participle,  past
• bleaching
  present participle

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)

• bleaches,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bleached,
  past participle,  past
• bleaching
  present participle

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

• bleaches
  plural

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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Synonym Usage

See whiten.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

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

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bleaches
  plural

Participles

• bleaching
  present
• bleached
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bleach
  simple
• bleaches
  simple
• have bleached
  perfect
• has bleached
  perfect
• am bleaching
  progressive
• are bleaching
  progressive
• is bleaching
  progressive
• have been bleaching
  perfect progressive
• has been bleaching
  perfect progressive

Past

• bleached
  simple
• had bleached
  perfect
• was bleaching
  progressive
• were bleaching
  progressive
• had been bleaching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bleach
  simple
• will have bleached
  perfect
• will be bleaching
  progressive
• will have been bleaching
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

bleach bleaches bleached bleaching

She said the overflowing and soiled bathrooms were so disgusting that she had to use the little money she had on her to purchase bleach and disinfectants for her family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

Investigators also found broken glass scattered through the home, a shattered microwave, and bleach wipes and spray bottles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 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

As part of the investigation, a BBC North West reporter was able to obtain a fraudulent teeth-whitening qualification, as well as being given "extreme" bleach and advised to "practise on friends and family".

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2025

The smell of fake lemon cleaner and bleach assaulted my nostrils as the sheet settled around me.

From "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken

If the stain persists, you have three options: Call a professional refinisher; there are stronger bleaches, but they aren’t easily available.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 7, 2023

At altitudes less than 1 km in the atmosphere, conditions are relatively warm and humid so smoke particles are often not very viscous and brown carbon bleaches quickly.

From Salon ● Nov. 13, 2022

Coral bleaches as a heat stress response and scientists hope most of the coral will recover from the current event, said David Wachenfeld, chief scientist at the authority, which manages the reef ecosystem.

From Seattle Times ● May 10, 2022

Sitting up, I see the stranger standing in front of the building, admiring it below a sun that bleaches them both.

From New York Times ● Mar. 29, 2022

It lightens the polish to a bright vomit green and bleaches the carpet surrounding it.

From "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Returning to Sausalito, the team passed bleached whale bones on an Angel Island beach, a grim reminder of what they were up against.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 19, 2026

Jacks has been given the nickname of Slim Shady by some England players during this tournament – a reference to his pre-tournament haircut and bleached blond hair.

From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026

Unless ocean temperatures return to more tolerable levels, bleached corals are unable to recover and eventually die of starvation.

From Barron's ● Feb. 10, 2026

“You promised you’d be nice,” the Bride teases when he makes fun of her groom’s bleached hair.

From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 5, 2025

As I gazed numbly at the sky, it seemed to have turned a preterpaturally pale shade of blue, bleached of all but the faintest remnant of color.

From "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer

Scientists have already connected them with widespread coral bleaching, large-scale deaths of marine organisms, harmful algal blooms and major disruptions to fisheries and aquaculture.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026

Wildfires, floods, melting ice caps, heat waves, the bleaching of ocean reefs.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

The last global mass bleaching event was declared in 2024.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

The arrival of a potentially powerful El Nino weather system this year could devastate coral reefs around the world already weakened by back-to-back rounds of bleaching, scientists warn.

From Barron's ● May 22, 2026

From Lookout Hill behind me, another rocket shot skyward, bleaching the night, and I saw the ship more clearly as the sea began to take it under.

From "Beyond the Bright Sea" by Lauren Wolk

Related Words

• lighten