bleach
bleach Lexical Profile
bleach Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A chemical substance, typically a solution of sodium hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide, used to whiten or sterilize materials or to lighten hair.
"She added a small amount of bleach to the wash to remove the stubborn stains from the white towels."
An act or instance of whitening or lightening something by chemical action or exposure to sunlight.
"After a quick bleach at the salon, his dark hair was ready to be dyed a vibrant shade of blue."
• verb
To cause a material, fabric, or hair to become white or much lighter by a chemical process or by exposure to sunlight.
"The intense desert sun had begun to bleach the wooden fence posts to a pale gray."
To clean, sterilize, or disinfect a surface or drain using a chemical bleaching solution.
"The kitchen staff made sure to thoroughly bleach the cutting boards at the end of every shift."
To expel symbiotic algae due to environmental stress such as elevated water temperatures, resulting in a loss of color and vitality (especially of coral).
"Rising ocean temperatures caused vast stretches of the barrier reef to bleach over the summer."
• Rhymes for bleach
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
From Old English blæcan ('to bleach, whiten'), derived from Proto-Germanic *blaikijan ('to make white or pale'), related to Old English blac ('pale, shining').