bled

A child has a small bled on their knee from a fall.

Definition

1. Verb (past tense and past participle of ):
   • To have lost blood from the body: "bled" indicates the action of blood flowing from a wound or blood vessel in the past.
   • To have drawn or extracted blood: In a medical or historical context, it means to have removed blood from someone, often as a treatment.
   • To have released a liquid or substance: In technical usage, it means to have drained a fluid (e.g., air, water, or dye) from a system.

Usage Examples

• Past tense of bleed (loss of blood):

  • He bled heavily after the accident. (Blood flowed from his wound.)
  • The soldier bled on the battlefield. (He lost blood due to injury.)

• Past tense of bleed (medical extraction):

  • Doctors bled the patient in the 18th century as a common treatment. (They removed blood for therapeutic reasons.)

• Past tense of bleed (technical release):

  • The mechanic bled the brakes to remove air from the system. (He released trapped air from the brake lines.)
  • The artist bled the colors onto the canvas. (He allowed paint to spread or run.)

Advanced Usage

• "to have bled for something": to have suffered or sacrificed greatly for a cause.

  • She bled for her country during the war. (She endured great hardship or injury.)

• "to have bled dry": to have extracted all resources or money from someone.

  • The corrupt regime bled the nation dry. (They took all wealth or resources.)

• "to have bled into": to have spread or merged gradually.

  • The red ink bled into the white paper. (The color diffused or soaked.)

Variants and Related Words

• Bleed (verb, base form): to lose blood or release a fluid.

  • The wound continues to bleed. (Blood still flows.)

• Bleeding (noun or present participle): the act of losing blood or releasing fluid.

  • The bleeding stopped after pressure was applied. (The flow of blood ceased.)

• Bleeder (noun): a person who bleeds easily or a device for draining fluid.

  • He is a hemophiliac, a natural bleeder. (Someone prone to bleeding.)

Synonyms

• Shed blood: to lose blood, especially in injury.

  • He shed blood in the fight. (He bled.)

• Drained: to have removed a liquid.

  • The tank was drained of water. (The water was released.)

Phrasal Verbs

• Bled out: to have lost blood until death or until completely drained.

  • The animal bled out from the wound. (It died from blood loss.)

• Bled off: to have removed a liquid gradually.

  • He bled off the excess oil from the engine. (He drained it slowly.)

Related Idioms

• Bled white: to have been stripped of all resources or strength.

  • The company was bled white by excessive taxes. (It was financially exhausted.)

• Bled like a stuck pig: to have lost blood profusely.

  • After the cut, he bled like a stuck pig. (He bled heavily.)