1
as in complaining
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 whimpering
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 bleating
When Sneaky Snook in his mail truck happened upon the wreckage near the boundary of Meredith Downs, sheep were scattered along the roadside and the fence, bleating, dazed.
—
Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Here came Corgan, bleating a ballad that was genuinely moving, and people wanted to hear it.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
The man sitting in front of me—rugged, with a fine Rockwell Kent profile—tips forward and begins to emit gentle, bleating snores.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
And when her furry black-and-white friend follows her — bleating at her heels, eager for more affection — Kusimayu keeps walking.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Dec. 2025
But working with Stockholm Drain Gang veteran Bladee on the remix turns the song into a hyper-pop boss fight, with frenetic and bleating synths piling on the duo’s vocals.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The goat did a lot of bleating, baa-baa, and Malika joined in for the chorus.
—Joan Silber, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Here came Corgan, bleating a ballad that was genuinely moving, and people wanted to hear it.
—Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2026
The man sitting in front of me—rugged, with a fine Rockwell Kent profile—tips forward and begins to emit gentle, bleating snores.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 27 Jan. 2026
And when her furry black-and-white friend follows her — bleating at her heels, eager for more affection — Kusimayu keeps walking.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 24 Dec. 2025
But working with Stockholm Drain Gang veteran Bladee on the remix turns the song into a hyper-pop boss fight, with frenetic and bleating synths piling on the duo’s vocals.
—Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
The goat did a lot of bleating, baa-baa, and Malika joined in for the chorus.
—Joan Silber, New Yorker, 30 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleating
Verb
-
Paktyawal began complaining of shortness of breath and chest pains while being held in a holding room at the Dallas ICE field office on Friday evening and was taken to the hospital to receive breathing treatment, the agency said.—
Aarón Torres,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Many are complaining about their local property tax.—
Letters to the Editor,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a large tent, veterinarians and volunteers work together to place an IV into the leg of a small, whimpering puppy.—
Tavleen Tarrant,
NBC news,
28 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Witnesses recorded a video of Barranco screaming in pain as four agents piled on top of him and punched him during the arrest.—
Luzdelia Caballero,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Late in the second quarter of Sunday night’s game at Madison Square Garden, with the lead slipping away in what would eventually be a 110-107 Warriors loss to the Knicks, Steve Kerr was caught on camera screaming and pointing at Will Richard after a turnover.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The audience was crying and laughing so hard, and that’s the balance Andrea struck so effortlessly.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
-
Our sound guy was crying holding up the boom mic.—
David Morgan,
CBS News,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
McGraw has been doing the work Close arguably couldn’t for weeks without coming across as whining.—
Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Paige is little more than a dumb blonde stereotype, another underwritten female character in Sheridan’s growing oeuvre, but Chapman laces her babyish whining with surprising bite, while showing a knack for physical comedy.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
One minute later, Pedro Neto was yellow-carded for moaning.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
While lying on the pavement, he could be heard moaning as an officer shouted at him not to move.—
Jose R. Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
13 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
In fact, the director was egging me on, encouraging me to go further with the hunching and muttering.—
Andrew Martin,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Old friend Daniel Vladar was spectacular in making 26 saves, several of which had Morgan Geekie (nine total shots, five on net, two blocked, two misses) muttering to himself.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bleating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleating. Accessed 20 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
