bleated

verb

past tense of bleat
1
as in complained
to express dissatisfaction, pain, or resentment usually tiresomely as far as the slumlord was concerned, the unhappy tenants were just bleating about nothing

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in whimpered
to utter feeble plaintive cries the baby bleated softly as he woke up, then smiled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bleated The old man bleated out a laugh. — Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleated
  1. complained
  2. whimpered
  3. screamed
  4. cried
  5. whined
  6. moaned
  7. muttered
Verb
  • The European Football Clubs organization, which represents more than 850 clubs, complained they were also not consulted on the FFE plan.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 30 July 2026
  • Players have long complained about less-lively balls that force them to swing harder to hit them through the court.
    — Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 30 July 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • Pancho, a heavy-bodied Airedale, whimpered and rubbed against my leg with the expectation of excitement to come.
    — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026
  • Arms flew around in exasperation, and the woman left the table for such a long time that the large dog lying at their feet sat up and whimpered in the direction of her departure.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 May 2026
Definition of whimpered
Verb
  • All around them, guests smiled and laughed as children screamed with excitement and giggled each time a butterfly fluttered close.
    — Sophia Buonpane, Kansas City Star, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Immediately, the packed audience screamed with excitement at the sight of the singer.
    — Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 30 July 2026
Definition of screamed
Verb
  • Rivas’ mother bowed her head and cried as the images were displayed.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 24 July 2026
  • The comedian also said that Chelsea, 28, cried when the pair’s visit ended early due to a tornado warning in the area.
    — Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 12 July 2026
Definition of cried
Verb
  • Post-Covid, Hollywood has whined about the falloff for MPA fare in Pan Asian territories, particularly the once-robust South Korea.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 28 July 2026
  • After a few casts, Rubye’s rod bent, and the reel whined as line spooled out.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
Definition of whined
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of moaned
Verb
  • This was 1872, and the pious (and patronizing) commentators of the time muttered that Damien’s unvarnished personality was due to his simple farm upbringing in rural Belgium.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 20 July 2026
  • Bat met ball and, under his breath, Astros manager Joe Espada muttered an expletive.
    — Chandler Rome, New York Times, 29 June 2026
Definition of muttered

Browse Nearby Words

bleat
bleated
bleater
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bleated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleated. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bleated

Nglish: Translation of bleated for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of mitigate

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

'Sneaked' or 'Snuck': Which is correct?

Why does English have so many silent letters?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

How long is a jiffy?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All