bleated; bleating; bleats
1
a
: to make the natural cry of a sheep or goat
also
: to utter a similar sound
b
: whimper
2
a
: to talk complainingly or with a whine
b
: blather
: to utter in a bleating manner
bleater
noun
1
: the cry of a sheep or goat
also
: a similar sound
the bleat of a cell phone
2
: a feeble outcry, protest, or complaint
Examples of bleat in a Sentence
Verb
The lamb bleated as I approached.
“But why can't I go?” she bleated.
The labor union is always bleating about the management.
Noun
a very patient, understanding person who accepts life's inconveniences without a bleat
Recent Examples on the Web
Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The right is being horrifyingly plain in bleating their bigotry, but they’re also lost in linguistic obscurities.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025
Not all Republicans agreed, but their bleats of complaint hardly suggested a Congress that had finally found the moment to reassert its institutional prerogatives.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bleat
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Verb
Lewis Black’s rant against protein Doritos was classic Gen-X complaining, the kind of thing Denis Leary used to bleat between music videos on MTV back when MTV had music videos and not just endless reruns of pre-unionization Ridiculousness.
—Bethy Squires, Vulture, 24 Oct. 2025
The right is being horrifyingly plain in bleating their bigotry, but they’re also lost in linguistic obscurities.
—James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
Busting out a box of instruments that turned the room into a riot of noise, Sheeran then encourage each student to share their unique sound into the mic, from saxophone bleats to fart sounds.
—Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 22 Oct. 2025
Not all Republicans agreed, but their bleats of complaint hardly suggested a Congress that had finally found the moment to reassert its institutional prerogatives.
—Susan B. Glasser, New Yorker, 2 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bleat
Cite this Entry
“Bleat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bleat. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bleat
1 of 2 verb1
: to utter a bleat or similar sound
2
: to speak in a bleating way
bleat
2 of 2 noun
: the characteristic cry of a sheep or goat
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