bleed

1 of 2

verb

bled ˈbled How to pronounce bleed (audio) ; bleeding

intransitive verb

1
a
: to emit or lose blood
b
: to sacrifice one's blood especially in battle
2
: to feel anguish, pain, or sympathy
a heart that bleeds at a friend's misfortune
3
a
: to escape by oozing or flowing (as from a wound)
b
: to spread into or through something gradually : seep
foreign policy bleeds into economic policyJ. B. Judis
4
: to give up some constituent (such as sap or dye) by exuding or diffusing it
5
a
: to pay out or give money
b
: to have money extorted
6
: to be printed so as to run off one or more edges of the page after trimming

transitive verb

1
: to remove or draw blood from
2
: to get or extort money from especially over a prolonged period
3
: to draw sap from (a tree)
4
a
: to extract or let out some or all of a contained substance from
bleed a brake line
b
: to extract or cause to escape from a container
c
: to diminish gradually
usually used with off
a pilot bleeding off airspeed
d
: to lose rapidly and uncontrollably
the company was bleeding money
e
: sap
cost overruns … bleed other programsAlex Roland
5
: to cause (something, such as a printed illustration) to bleed

bleed

2 of 2

noun

1
: printed matter (such as an illustration) that bleeds
also : the part of a bleed trimmed off
2
: the escape of blood from vessels : hemorrhage
Phrases
bleed white
: to drain of blood or resources

Examples of bleed in a Sentence

Verb She was bleeding from the face and hands. Doctors used to bleed their patients in an effort to cure them. We bled air from the tank. You'll need to bleed the car's brake lines.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Another officer dragged a man in a plaid shirt and dark pants, lying face down and bleeding heavily from the head, from the curb into the street and handcuffed him. Cindy Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024 The songs bled into each other, conjuring a kind of dream state; people drifted through the lakewater on paddle boats and golden sun rays shone through the leaves of the tree canopy above the crowd. Isabelia Herrera, Pitchfork, 19 Mar. 2024 The man, 32, was found unconscious and bleeding from a gunshot wound to his head on Feb. 16, ABC 4, KSL News Radio and KUTV report, citing the warrants. Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 18 Mar. 2024 Then the bleeding man rose and shrugged off his jacket and tossed it to another bench. Michael Wilson, New York Times, 17 Mar. 2024 Spotting Spotting, or light bleeding, at any other time of the month than your period can be alarming. Anthea Levi, Health, 16 Mar. 2024 The second 911 call was made on Feb. 13, when the caller described seeing a young boy bleeding after being attacked by a coyote, according to WFAA. Nicole Lopez, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Feb. 2024 Why else would the galleries and museums in Mid-City bleed over seamlessly into the streetwear shops? The Editors, Los Angeles Times, 28 Feb. 2024 On the flip side, some have bleeding intermittently throughout the first trimester and even into the second trimester. Maria Carter, Parents, 28 Feb. 2024
Noun
He was rushed to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery for a brain bleed, police said. Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024 After suffering a brain bleed from the incident, Ella was placed on life support and died on Sept. 20, the Times reports. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 4 Oct. 2023 Hemostatic gauze has clotting technology designed to slow blood flow, while a tourniquet is the most standard form of slowing a bleed. Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2024 The comedian was taken to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn last Friday after the accident and underwent neurological surgery to remove a piece of his skull and relieve pressure from a brain bleed, according to the GoFundMe post. Ali Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023 Hough went on to thank the medical team and Dr. Mai, the physician who performed this week's surgery, as well as an operation earlier this month to address the 29-year-old's brain bleed. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Dec. 2023 The Los Angeles Times has suffered a slow bleed by a succession of owners. Matthew Jordan, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024 According to a 2017 study by Oxford University, those over the age of 75 who take the blood-thinning pills are ten times more likely than younger patients to suffer disabling or fatal bleeds. Kayla Bartsch, National Review, 28 Jan. 2024 His case, this time around, relies heavily on the testimony of a pharmacologist who said the high levels of MDMA, or ecstasy, in Cayley's system could have caused her brain bleed. Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 20 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bleed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bleden, from Old English blēdan, from blōd blood

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

1917, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of bleed was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bleed

Cite this Entry

“Bleed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleed. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bleed

verb
ˈblēd
bled
ˈbled
; bleeding
1
: to lose or shed blood
2
: to be wounded
bleed for one's country
3
: to feel pain or deep sympathy
my heart bleeds for them
4
: to ooze or flow from a cut surface
5
a
: to draw liquid or air from
bleed a carburetor
b
: to run when wetted
dyes that bleed
6
: to get or force money from

Medical Definition

bleed

1 of 2 verb
bled ˈbled How to pronounce bleed (audio) ; bleeding

intransitive verb

1
: to emit or lose blood
hemophiliacs often bleed severely from the slightest scratch
2
: to escape by oozing or flowing (as from a wound)

transitive verb

: to remove or draw blood from

bleed

2 of 2 noun
: the escape of blood from vessels : hemorrhage
a massive gastrointestinal bleed

More from Merriam-Webster on bleed

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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