Topic: ILLNESS AND DISABILITY
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| Language: | Old English |
| Origin: | bledan, from blod; BLOOD |
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bleed
past tense and past participle bled
past tense and past participle bled1
blood
a) [intransitive]MI to lose blood, especially because of an injury : 
Your nose is bleeding.
Your nose is bleeding.b) [transitive] to take some blood from someone's body, done in the past in order to treat a disease : When he fell sick several days later, he had a doctor bleed him.
When he fell sick several days later, he had a doctor bleed him.2 to force someone to pay an unreasonable amount of money over a period of time : His ex-wife clearly intends to bleed him for every last penny.
money
[transitive]His ex-wife clearly intends to bleed him for every last penny. bleed somebody dry/white (=take all their money, possessions etc) The ten-year war has bled the country dry.
The ten-year war has bled the country dry.3 to remove air or liquid from a system in order to make it work properly, for example from a heating system : We need to bleed the radiators.
air/liquid
[transitive]We need to bleed the radiators.4 to spread from one area of cloth or paper to another [= run]: Wash it in cold water so the colours don't bleed.
colour
[intransitive]CCWash it in cold water so the colours don't bleed.5 if a company or business bleeds red ink, it loses a lot of money rather than making money : Analysts predict the retailer will continue to bleed red ink, with losses topping $180 million.
bleed red ink
informalAnalysts predict the retailer will continue to bleed red ink, with losses topping $180 million.