bleed

[bleed]

verb (used without object)

bled, bleeding 

1. 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.

2. (of injured tissue, excrescences, etc.) to exude blood.

   a wart that is bleeding.

3. (of a plant) to exude sap, resin, etc., from a wound.

4. (of dye or paint) to run or become diffused.

   All the colors bled when the dress was washed.

5. (of a liquid) to ooze or flow out.

6. to feel pity, sorrow, or anguish.

   My heart bleeds for you. A nation bleeds for its dead heroes.

7. to suffer wounds or death, as in battle.

   The soldiers bled for the cause.

8. (of a broadcast signal) to interfere with another signal.

   CB transmissions bleeding over into walkie-talkies.

9. Printing.,  (of printed matter) to run off the edges of a page, either by design or through mutilation caused by too close trimming.

10. Slang.,  to pay out money, as when overcharged or threatened with extortion.

11. 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)

bled, bleeding 

1. to cause to lose blood, especially surgically.

   Doctors no longer bleed their patients to reduce fever.

2. to lose or emit (blood or sap).

3. to drain or draw sap, water, electricity, etc., from (something).

   to bleed a pipeline of excess air.

4. to remove trapped air from (as an automotive brake system) by opening a bleeder valve.

5. to obtain an excessive amount from; extort money from.

6. Printing.

   1. to permit (printed illustrations or ornamentation) to run off the page or sheet.

   2. to trim the margin of (a book or sheet) so closely as to mutilate the text or illustration.

noun

1. Printing.

   1. a sheet or page margin trimmed so as to mutilate the text or illustration.

   2. a part thus trimmed off.

2. Medicine/Medical.,  an instance of bleeding; hemorrhage.

   an intracranial bleed.

adjective

1. Printing.,  characterized by bleeding.

   a bleed page.

verb phrase

1. bleed off,  to draw or extract.

   to bleed off sap from a maple tree; to bleed off static electricity.

bleed

/ bliːd /

verb

1. (intr) to lose or emit blood

2. (tr) to remove or draw blood from (a person or animal)

3. (intr) to be injured or die, as for a cause or one's country

4. (of plants) to exude (sap or resin), esp from a cut

5. informal,  (tr) to obtain relatively large amounts of money, goods, etc, esp by extortion

6. (tr) to draw liquid or gas from (a container or enclosed system)

   to bleed the hydraulic brakes

7. (intr) (of dye or paint) to run or become mixed, as when wet

8. to print or be printed so that text, illustrations, etc, run off the trimmed page

9. (tr) to trim (the edges of a printed sheet) so closely as to cut off some of the printed matter

10. (intr) civil engineering building trades (of a mixture) to exude (a liquid) during compaction, such as water from cement

11. to extort gradually all the resources of a person or thing

12. used to express sympathetic grief, but often used ironically

noun

1. printing

   1. an illustration or sheet trimmed so that some matter is bled

   2. ( as modifier )

      a bleed page

2. printing the trimmings of a sheet that has been bled

Other Word Forms

• outbleed verb (used with object)
• unbled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of bleed¹

before 1000; Middle English bleden, Old English blēdan, derivative of blōd blood

Word History and Origins

Origin of bleed¹

Old English blēdan ; see _blood

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. bleed white. white.

More idioms and phrases containing bleed

• my heart bleeds for you

Example Sentences

At night, she wrote stories, “mostly about women and their hurt because it was the only way I could think of to bleed out all the hurt I was feeling.”

From Los Angeles Times

The inquest at Blackpool Town Hall was told no concerns were raised either when the healthcare assistants noticed Mrs Kneale's bleeding, or during her stay in hospital.

From BBC

This was a game to make the eyes bleed, but at least the beleaguered Rangers manager saw something different from his team - organisation, resilience, a clean sheet.

From BBC

Witnesses have described seeing children bleeding as they fled from the church, begging for help from strangers.

From BBC

Amid a broader slump in overall film and TV production, the city has long been bleeding production jobs to states and countries that offer generous tax incentives, cheaper labor and more filming-friendly bureaucracies.

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• drain 
• ooze 
• trickle 
• weep