bled
ˈbled 
; bleeding
; bleeding
1
a
: to emit or lose blood
b
: to sacrifice one's blood especially in battle
2
: to feel anguish, pain, or sympathy
a heart that bleeds at a friend's misfortune
3
a
: to escape by oozing or flowing (as from a wound)
b
: to spread into or through something gradually : seep
foreign policy bleeds into economic policy—
J. B. Judis
J. B. Judis4
: to give up some constituent (such as sap or dye) by exuding or diffusing it
5
a
: to pay out or give money
b
: to have money extorted
6
: to be printed so as to run off one or more edges of the page after trimming
1
: to remove or draw blood from
2
: to get or extort money from especially over a prolonged period
3
: to draw sap from (a tree)
4
a
: to extract or let out some or all of a contained substance from
bleed a brake line
b
: to extract or cause to escape from a container
c
: to diminish gradually
—usually used with off
a pilot bleeding off airspeed
d
: to lose rapidly and uncontrollably
the company was bleeding money
e
: sap
cost overruns … bleed other programs—Alex Roland
Alex Roland5
: to cause (something, such as a printed illustration) to bleed
1
: printed matter (such as an illustration) that bleeds
also
: the part of a bleed trimmed off
2
: the escape of blood from vessels : hemorrhage
Synonyms
Examples of bleed in a Sentence
Verb
She was bleeding from the face and hands.
Doctors used to bleed their patients in an effort to cure them.
We bled air from the tank.
You'll need to bleed the car's brake lines.
Recent Examples on the WebNina Agrawal, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
But in terms of earnings, the app appears to be bleeding cash.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
When the door finally open, the man was on the floor in the fetal position, bleeding from his torso.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
The corpse of someone who died by violence was thought to bleed in the presence of his or her killer, a kind of supernatural proof of crime.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Meningococcal bloodstream infection damages the walls of the blood vessels and causes bleeding into the skin and organs.
—Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2024
Last year, one man died after he was beaten and left bleeding for four hours before guards noticed.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
There was also evidence of bleeding behind his left eye, but no signs of head trauma or broken bones, the society said.
—Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Another officer dragged a man in a plaid shirt and dark pants, lying face down and bleeding heavily from the head, from the curb into the street and handcuffed him.
—Cindy Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
The trick is to adjusting the level of bleed for everyone at the table.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
He was rushed to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery for a brain bleed, police said.
—Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024
After suffering a brain bleed from the incident, Ella was placed on life support and died on Sept. 20, the Times reports.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 4 Oct. 2023
Hemostatic gauze has clotting technology designed to slow blood flow, while a tourniquet is the most standard form of slowing a bleed.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2024
The comedian was taken to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn last Friday after the accident and underwent neurological surgery to remove a piece of his skull and relieve pressure from a brain bleed, according to the GoFundMe post.
—Ali Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
Hough went on to thank the medical team and Dr. Mai, the physician who performed this week's surgery, as well as an operation earlier this month to address the 29-year-old's brain bleed.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Dec. 2023
The Los Angeles Times has suffered a slow bleed by a succession of owners.
—Matthew Jordan, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024
Verb
Spray with the nozzle pointed out toward the ears to get the greatest benefit and to avoid side effects like nose bleeds.
—Nina Agrawal, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
But in terms of earnings, the app appears to be bleeding cash.
—Michael Kan, PCMAG, 1 Apr. 2024
When the door finally open, the man was on the floor in the fetal position, bleeding from his torso.
—Devoun Cetoute, Miami Herald, 29 Mar. 2024
The corpse of someone who died by violence was thought to bleed in the presence of his or her killer, a kind of supernatural proof of crime.
—Philip Kennicott, Washington Post, 29 Mar. 2024
Meningococcal bloodstream infection damages the walls of the blood vessels and causes bleeding into the skin and organs.
—Sara Moniuszko, CBS News, 29 Mar. 2024
Last year, one man died after he was beaten and left bleeding for four hours before guards noticed.
—Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 26 Mar. 2024
There was also evidence of bleeding behind his left eye, but no signs of head trauma or broken bones, the society said.
—Ed Shanahan, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2024
Another officer dragged a man in a plaid shirt and dark pants, lying face down and bleeding heavily from the head, from the curb into the street and handcuffed him.
—Cindy Chang, Los Angeles Times, 20 Mar. 2024
Noun
According to the charging documents, two of Hudson’s children remained hospitalized in intensive care with severe injuries, including brain bleeds and broken bones, as of Friday.
—USA TODAY, 25 Mar. 2024
The trick is to adjusting the level of bleed for everyone at the table.
—Rob Wieland, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024
He was rushed to a hospital and underwent emergency surgery for a brain bleed, police said.
—Olivia Lloyd, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024
After suffering a brain bleed from the incident, Ella was placed on life support and died on Sept. 20, the Times reports.
—Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 4 Oct. 2023
Hemostatic gauze has clotting technology designed to slow blood flow, while a tourniquet is the most standard form of slowing a bleed.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 26 Feb. 2024
The comedian was taken to Kings County Hospital in Brooklyn last Friday after the accident and underwent neurological surgery to remove a piece of his skull and relieve pressure from a brain bleed, according to the GoFundMe post.
—Ali Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 14 Dec. 2023
Hough went on to thank the medical team and Dr. Mai, the physician who performed this week's surgery, as well as an operation earlier this month to address the 29-year-old's brain bleed.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 26 Dec. 2023
The Los Angeles Times has suffered a slow bleed by a succession of owners.
—Matthew Jordan, The Conversation, 1 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bleed.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bleed
Cite this Entry
“Bleed.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleed. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
bleed
1 of 2 verb
bled
ˈbled
; bleeding
; bleeding
1
: to emit or lose blood
hemophiliacs often bleed severely from the slightest scratch
2
: to escape by oozing or flowing (as from a wound)
: to remove or draw blood from
bleed
2 of 2 noun
: the escape of blood from vessels : hemorrhage
a massive gastrointestinal bleed
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