noun Common

bleeding

BLEE-dihng

Bleeding (noun) means the flow of blood from a wound or, in medical contexts, from inside the body. Example: “Apply pressure to stop the bleeding.”

noun

The flow of blood from a wound or, in medical contexts, from inside the body.

"Apply pressure to stop the bleeding."

"Internal bleeding after the crash required emergency surgery."

adj

A mild British intensifier expressing annoyance, similar to "damn."

"Where's the bleeding remote control gone?"

How to use bleeding

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishBlood loss from an injury, or (informally, mainly UK) a mild swear-like intensifier.

When to use it

The intensifier sense is informal British slang, mild but still not suited to formal writing.

Common pairings

stop the bleeding internal bleeding bleeding heart

Word forms

bleedings plural

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “bleeding” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

Apply pressure to stop the _____.

Etymology

By surface analysis, bleed + -ing.

Synonyms

View more →

blood loss hemorrhage blooming blasted flipping ruddy

Related words

very living drunk freaking goddamn damned blamed bleed

Rhymes for bleeding

needing feeding weeding seeding breeding speeding receding exceeding preceding proceeding succeeding inbreeding

See all rhymes for bleeding →

Frequently asked questions

What does “bleeding” mean?

The word “bleeding” means the flow of blood from a wound or, in medical contexts, from inside the body. In plain terms, blood loss from an injury, or (informally, mainly UK) a mild swear-like intensifier.

How do you pronounce “bleeding”?

“Bleeding” is pronounced BLEE-dihng (/ˈbliːdɪŋ/ in IPA).

How do you use “bleeding” in a sentence?

Here is “bleeding” used in a sentence: “Apply pressure to stop the bleeding.”

What part of speech is “bleeding”?

Depending on how it is used, “bleeding” can be a noun and an adjective.

Is “bleeding” a common word?

“Bleeding” is a fairly common word in modern English.

How many meanings does “bleeding” have?

“Bleeding” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: the flow of blood from a wound or, in medical contexts, from inside the body.

Is bleeding a swear word in British English?

Bleeding is a mild British intensifier used to express annoyance, similar to "damn," as in "the bleeding car won't start." It is generally considered mild rather than genuinely offensive, but it is informal and best avoided in polite or professional settings.

What is the difference between bleeding and hemorrhage?

Bleeding is the general term for any flow of blood from a wound or from inside the body. Hemorrhage is the medical term, usually reserved for heavy, serious, or uncontrolled blood loss, such as internal bleeding after a major injury.

Featured in

Vocabulary lists that include bleeding:

Words that start with B

People also searched

very living drunk freaking goddamn damned blamed bleed