What does "bleed" mean?
An incident of bleeding, as in haemophilia.
Bleed
/ˈbliːd/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An incident of bleeding, as in haemophilia.
- Grammar: bleed is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: abridge, abuse, ache, agonize.
- Useful contrasts: coagulation, conserve, heal.
- Usage evidence: With a weak beat, it continues to bleed.
How to use "bleed"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bleed" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bleed" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bleed" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bleed" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bleed" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "abridge" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bleed", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An incident of bleeding, as in haemophilia. countable, uncountable
- 2 A system for tapping hot, high-pressure air from a gas turbine engine for purposes such as cabin pressurization and airframe anti-icing. countable, plural-normally, uncountable
"When taking off at high altitude or at near-maximum weight, the bleeds have to be turned off temporarily, as they decrease engine power somewhat."
- 3 A narrow edge around a page layout, to be printed but cut off afterwards (added to allow for slight misalignment, especially with pictures that should run to the edge of the finished sheet). countable, uncountable
- 4 A margin left at the edges of a shot to allow for the picture being cropped when it arrives at viewers' screens. countable, uncountable
- 5 The situation where sound is picked up by a microphone from a source other than that which is intended. countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 The removal of air bubbles from a pipe containing other fluids. countable, uncountable
- 7 The phenomenon of in-character feelings affecting a player's feelings or actions outside of the game. uncountable
Verb
- 1 To shed blood through an injured blood vessel. intransitive
"If her nose bleeds, try to use ice."
- 2 lose blood from one's body wordnet
- 3 To menstruate. intransitive
"You haven't bled. It's been over a month since your arrival, and you haven't bled."
- 4 draw blood wordnet
- 5 To let or draw blood from. transitive
""What did they die of?" I asked. "Fevers. The doctor came and bled them and purged them, but they still died." "He bled and purged babies?" "They were two and three. He said it would break the fever. And it did. But they ... they died anyway.""
Show 15 more definitions
- 6 drain of liquid or steam wordnet
- 7 To take large amounts of money from. transitive
- 8 be diffused wordnet
- 9 To steadily lose (something vital). transitive
"The company was bleeding talent."
- 10 get or extort (money or other possessions) from someone wordnet
- 11 To spread from the intended location and stain the surrounding cloth or paper. intransitive
"Ink traps counteract bleeding."
- 12 To remove air bubbles from a pipe containing other fluids. transitive
- 13 To tap off high-pressure gas (usually air) from a system that produces high-pressure gas primarily for another purpose. transitive
"At low engine speeds, valves open to bleed some of the highly-compressed air from the later compressor stages, helping to prevent engine surging."
- 14 To bleed on; to make bloody. obsolete, transitive
- 15 To show one's group loyalty by showing (its associated color) in one's blood. copulative, figuratively, intransitive
"He was a devoted Vikings fan: he bled purple."
- 16 To lose sap, gum, or juice.
"A tree or a vine bleeds when tapped or wounded."
- 17 To issue forth, or drop, like blood from an incision.
"For me the balm shall bleed."
- 18 To destroy the environment where another phonological rule would have applied. transitive
"Labialization bleeds palatalization."
- 19 To (cause to) extend to the edge of the page, without leaving any margin. ambitransitive
"Full-page and double-page colour advertisements in the Sunday colour magazines usually bleed off the page' (or are 'bled to the margin'), […]"
- 20 To lose money. intransitive
"Most of the sectors are bleeding, particularly the resources sector."
Antonyms
Example
"With a weak beat, it continues to bleed."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bleed"?
Common synonyms include: abridge, abuse, ache, agonize, anguish, be sorry for.
How do you use "bleed" in a sentence?
With a weak beat, it continues to bleed.
How do you pronounce "bleed"?
Pronounced /ˈbliːd/.
Etymology
From Middle English bleden, from Old English blēdan (“to bleed”), from Proto-West Germanic *blōdijan, from Proto-Germanic *blōþijaną (“to bleed”), from *blōþą (“blood”). Cognates Cognate with Scots blede, bleid (“to bleed”), Saterland Frisian bläide (“to bleed”), West Frisian bliede (“to bleed”), Dutch bloeden (“to bleed”), Low German blöden (“to bleed”), German bluten (“to bleed”), Danish bløde (“to bleed”), Swedish blöda (“to bleed”).