branquear
1. to make something white or whiter in color
The bleach will whiten your clothes.
O alvejante vai branquear suas roupas.
2. to become white or whiter
Her hair began to whiten with age.
Seus cabelos começaram a branquear com a idade.
3. to make something appear white or lighter
The snow whitened the landscape overnight.
A neve branqueou a paisagem durante a noite.
4. to clean or purify, often in a figurative sense
They tried to whiten their reputation after the scandal.
Eles tentaram limpar sua reputação após o escândalo.
In Brazilian Portuguese, 'branquear' is the standard translation. The term 'alvejante' specifically refers to bleaching agents used in laundry. The figurative use of 'whiten' meaning to cleanse one's reputation is recognized in both American English and Portuguese-speaking contexts, though it carries historical baggage related to whitewashing scandals or corruption.
Related Idioms & Phrases
whiten one's sepulchre - to appear virtuous while being corrupt
whiten the sepulchres - biblical reference to hypocrisy
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