# bleeding

/ˈbɫidɪŋ/ (US) · /blˈiːdɪŋ/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/bleeding
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. loss of blood

noun · CEFR B2

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

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

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

### 3. annoying or extreme

adjective · CEFR C1 · British English · Slang · Informal

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

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

- I've been waiting for the bleeding bus for forty minutes.
- He complained that the bleeding radiator had been leaking all weekend despite the landlord's promises to fix it.

### 4. extremely

adverb · CEFR C1 · British English · Slang · Informal

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

For teachers: an intensifying adverb used to add emotional force to an adjective.

- It is bleeding cold in this office today.
- The instructions were bleeding impossible to follow, leading the team to abandon the project entirely by mid-afternoon.

## Examples

- The doctor applied pressure to stop the bleeding.
- Internal bleeding can be difficult to detect without a proper medical scan or physical examination.
- The surgeon noted that the patient's bleeding was surprisingly minimal despite the complexity of the vascular repair performed during the three-hour operation.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.