as in bleaching
to make white or whiter by removing color
years of sunlight had almost completely whitened the flag
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of whitening
The files include jokey exchanges and emails planning visits to Epstein properties, teeth-whitening appointments and shopping trips.
—
Jill Lawless, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2026
Over a period of about 10 years, London had more than 30 procedures, including several nose jobs, eyelid surgeries, brow and temple lifts and whitening skin injections, spending in excess of $200,000.
—Amanda Montell, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Your next tooth-whitening and repairing substance might well be a new powder developed by Shanghai researchers.
—New Atlas, 27 Jan. 2026
Add a whitening booster like 1/4 cup oxygen bleach, 1/2 cup borax, or 1 cup of baking soda to the washer drum.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whitening
Jill Lawless, Fortune, 7 Feb. 2026
Over a period of about 10 years, London had more than 30 procedures, including several nose jobs, eyelid surgeries, brow and temple lifts and whitening skin injections, spending in excess of $200,000.
—Amanda Montell, PEOPLE, 1 Feb. 2026
Your next tooth-whitening and repairing substance might well be a new powder developed by Shanghai researchers.
—New Atlas, 27 Jan. 2026
Add a whitening booster like 1/4 cup oxygen bleach, 1/2 cup borax, or 1 cup of baking soda to the washer drum.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 13 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for whitening
Recent Examples of Synonyms for whitening
Verb
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She was also reportedly seen bleaching the inside of her car.—
Brie Stimson,
FOXNews.com,
24 Apr. 2026
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Once in a while, black flats compress the space, framing a single character’s face, bathed in a bleaching white light, as if their vulnerabilities were being scanned by an MRI.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Meanwhile, commercial-only business districts are fading.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
27 Apr. 2026
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Dust and pollen are quicker to reveal themselves, and wear becomes apparent faster as dark colors are more prone to fading.—
Marisa Suzanne Martin,
The Spruce,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Whitening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/whitening. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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