English Reference
noun · adjective · adverb

bleeding

n. · adj. · adv.
US /ˈbɫidɪŋ/ UK /blˈiːdɪŋ/ bleed·ing UK spelling bleedings

  1. 01 B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

    n.when blood flows out of a person's body because of an injury.

    n.the escape of blood from the circulatory system due to damaged blood vessels.

    Simple

    The doctor applied pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.

    In context

    Internal bleeding can be difficult to diagnose without imaging, as the patient may only present with vague symptoms like dizziness or low blood pressure.

  2. 02 C1 Advanced British EnglishSlangInformal

    adj.a word used to show you are very angry or to make a point stronger.

    adj.used as an attributive intensifier to express anger, frustration, or emphasis.

    Simple

    I've been waiting for the bleeding bus for forty minutes.

    In context

    He complained that the bleeding radiator had been leaking all weekend despite the landlord's promises to fix it.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced British EnglishSlangInformal

    adv.used before an adjective to mean 'very' when you are annoyed.

    adv.an intensifying adverb used to add emotional force to an adjective.

    Simple

    It is bleeding cold in this office today.

    In context

    The instructions were bleeding impossible to follow, leading the team to abandon the project entirely by mid-afternoon.

Mayer was unable to get in behind her jab for long periods and was bleeding and breathing heavily by round six.

BBC News· 29 Aug 2026

Symptoms include fever, fatigue, muscle pain and headache followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash and internal and external bleeding.

The Guardian· 17 Aug 2026

By surface analysis, bleed + -ing.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level B2 · Upper Intermediate
Frequency Common
Updated