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bleeding

n. · adj. · adv.
US //ˈbɫidɪŋ// UK //blˈiːdɪŋ// bleed·ing
  1. 1 loss of blood (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Medicine

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

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

    Example

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

    Example

    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. 2 annoying or extreme (adj.)
    C1 Advanced British English Slang Informal

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

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

    Example

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

    Example

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

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  1. 3 extremely (adv.)
    C1 Advanced British English Slang Informal

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

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

    Example

    It is bleeding cold in this office today.

    Example

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

Origin

By surface analysis, bleed + -ing.

Idioms2 entries

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