bleed red ink

verb

To suffer from severe net losses.

“The city program was meant to pay for itself, but from the start it was bleeding red ink and was eventually shut down.”

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Meanings

verbbleed red ink (third-person singular simple present bleeds red ink, present participle bleeding red ink, simple past and past participle bled red ink)

present singular third person bleeds red ink · participle present bleeding red ink · participle past bled red ink · past bled red ink

  1. idiomaticTo suffer from severe net losses.

    The city program was meant to pay for itself, but from the start it was bleeding red ink and was eventually shut down.

Cite this entry
APA

bleed red ink. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bleed%20red%20ink

MLA

“bleed red ink.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bleed%20red%20ink. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “bleed red ink,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/bleed%20red%20ink.

Source: bleed red ink on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.