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
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Recent Examples of bleating
Justin Fletcher returns as the bleating voice of Shaun and the flock, joined by John Sparkes, and Kate Harbour as voice talent in the dialog-free feature.
—
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleating
Verb
-
As of today, however, not everyone is complaining.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Late last year, a group of advocates successfully pushed the city to expand an off-leash area for dogs at MacArthur Park after complaining that the city lacked adequate space for animals to roam.—
Hannah Elsmore,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As the timer passed seven minutes, Steve Eckert exhorted a whimpering young man to dunk his head underwater.—
Charles Bethea,
New Yorker,
30 Mar. 2026
-
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
-
Linebacker Oh, linebacker, a position screaming out for help and coming away with nothing, much like most Barrett Carter and Demetrius Knight tackle attempts in the first half of last season.—
Paul Dehner Jr,
New York Times,
7 Apr. 2026
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In the video, recorded by Mortensen on his cellphone, Paul can be seen screaming and throwing metal chairs, one of which struck one of her children who witnessed the altercation, according to the criminal indictment.—
Yvonne Villarreal,
Los Angeles Times,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Gus gave Johnny the full explanation of how rain meant that the universe was crying on Good Friday because Jesus died on the cross.—
David Mcgrath,
The Orlando Sentinel,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Still reading the emails, still crying about it.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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For the puppy, leaving its mother and littermates can be stressful at first, and crying or whining is normal.—
Lucy Notarantonio,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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Or get ready for a lot of groaning and whining.—
Keely Doll,
Louisville Courier Journal,
25 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
But a male voice could be heard moaning in the background.—
Tim Stelloh,
NBC news,
3 Apr. 2026
-
One minute later, Pedro Neto was yellow-carded for moaning.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
5 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Past albums like Lyfë and 2093 were best experienced as hourslong excursions into illegible rage-rap experiences that washed over the listener, with Yeat’s voice muttering his harmonies amid glitchy laptop bangers.—
Mosi Reeves,
Rolling Stone,
31 Mar. 2026
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In fact, the director was egging me on, encouraging me to go further with the hunching and muttering.—
Andrew Martin,
Vogue,
9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bleating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleating. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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