verb
bleed
BLEED
verb
1
To lose blood from an injury.
"His nose started to bleed after the fall."
"The wound bled through the bandage within an hour."
2
To drain someone or something of money or resources over time.
"The legal fees bled the family's savings dry."
"Rising costs are bleeding small businesses of their profits."
3
Of colour or ink, to spread beyond its intended area.
"The red dye bled into the white fabric during the wash."
How to Use Bleed
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo lose blood, or by extension, to steadily lose money, resources, or colour.
Common pairings
bleed money
bleed to death
colours bleed
Word Forms
bled past tense, bleeds plural, bleeds singular
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Etymology
From Old English "blēdan," derived from the word for blood — the same root also gives us "blood" itself.