<p><strong>verb</strong></p><ul><li>to make whiter or lighter in color, such as by exposure to sunlight or a chemical agent; remove the color from: Do you think she bleaches her hair?</li><li>to cause (coral) to undergo a loss of color that indicates declining health: caused by a loss of the algae that normally live symbiotically in the coral’s tissues: In sufficient concentrations, the chemicals in certain sunscreens can bleach coral.</li><li>Photography. to convert (the silver image of a negative or print) to a silver halide, either to remove the image or to change its tone.</li></ul><p><strong>verb</strong></p><ul><li>(used without object) to become whiter or lighter in color: The grass in the fields gradually bleached as winter approached, leaving the landscape pale and drab.</li><li>(of coral) to undergo a loss of color that indicates declining health: caused by a loss of the algae that normally live symbiotically in the coral’s tissues: Coral reefs are bleaching due to ocean pollution and rising sea temperatures.</li></ul><p><strong>noun</strong></p><ul><li>a bleaching agent.</li><li>an act of bleaching.</li><li>degree of paleness achieved in bleaching.</li></ul>