bleed

Everyday

1. To lose blood from the body, because of a cut or injury. tree →
2. Of colours, to spread into each other or onto other things, like dye bleeding in the wash. tree →
3. To let air or liquid out of something, as in bleeding a radiator (usually an adult's job). tree →

In the lessons

In first aid, if someone is bleeding from a cut, press firmly on it with a clean cloth or pad, raise it if possible, and tell an adult; heavy bleeding needs emergency help. Wear gloves when helping with someone else's blood if possible, and wash hands. Small cuts usually stop bleeding by themselves as blood clots and forms a scab. In science, blood carries oxygen around the body, so losing a lot is dangerous. Phrases: "bleed heavily", "stop the bleeding", "my nose is bleeding", "bleed to death", "colours bleed".

Examples

• My knee started to bleed when I fell. tree →
• Press on the cut to stop it bleeding. tree →
• His nose bled after he was hit by the ball. tree →
• Gums can bleed if you brush too hard. tree →
• Don't wash red socks with white clothes — the colour may bleed. tree →
• A small cut bleeds for a few minutes, then a scab forms. tree →
• Call for help if someone is bleeding a lot. tree →
• The paint bled into the wet paper. tree →
• Her stepmother sent her out every day to sit by the well in the high road, there to spin until she made her fingers bleed. tree →

Note

Irregular verb: bleed, bled, bled (not "bleeded"). Noun: blood; adjective: bloody (which in British English is also a rude swear word). "Bleed" is the verb; "blood" is the noun.