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bleach

Syllabification: (bleach)
Pronunciation: /blēCH/

Translate bleach | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of bleach

verb

[with object]
  • 1whiten by exposure to sunlight or by a chemical process:paper products are bleached with chlorine (as adjective bleached)permed and bleached hair
  • deprive of vitality or substance:his contributions to the album are bleached of personality
  • 2clean and sterilize:a new formula to bleach and brighten clothing

noun

  • a chemical (typically a solution of sodium hypochlorite or hydrogen peroxide) used to whiten or sterilize materials.

Origin:

Old English blǣcan (verb), blǣce (noun), from blǣc 'pale', of Germanic origin; related to bleak1

bleach in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of bleach in the British & World English dictionary

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