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
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
James Folta, Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleating
Verb
-
DeWanna Bonner earned a technical foul with six minutes remaining for complaining after a no-call on a second-chance attempt.—
Ben Pickman,
New York Times,
11 Oct. 2025
-
Not that Siegler is complaining.—
Jack Beresford,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Obviously, there is a bird on the hood, the screaming chicken.—
Erik Shilling,
Robb Report,
15 Oct. 2025
-
Pointed gestures toward the lingering tension between Japan and Korea — and between those two countries and the rest of the planet — are drowned out by tiresome bickering and exaggerated gags, like a meaningful conversation swallowed into the sound of an airplane engine screaming overhead.—
David Ehrlich,
IndieWire,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
In a clip shared exclusively with PEOPLE, Van Dyke recalled crying when the Sherman Brothers first played the now-iconic songs for him.—
Meredith Wilshere,
PEOPLE,
11 Oct. 2025
-
At one point during the hearing, Richards pleaded for a tissue and began crying while recalling a particularly abusive event in May.—
Christina Dugan Ramirez , Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The floor buffers come out, whining like jet engines in the hallways, erasing over a month’s worth of shoe scuffs that made the place look like the dasher boards at the hockey rink.—
Mark Glende,
Twin Cities,
15 Oct. 2025
-
While there is anecdotal evidence that suggests dogs display addictive-like behaviors towards their toys, such as whining if a toy is out of reach or playing despite being injured, this study put it to the test.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
9 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
There’s something moaning in the background.—
Brian Hiatt,
Rolling Stone,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The deputies ultimately roll him over before putting on handcuffs as Mull can be heard moaning in pain.—
Nathaniel Percy,
Oc Register,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
My husband has been muttering in a loop about tuition, books, food, and transportation to and from home to campus.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
15 Sep. 2025
-
He was also heard muttering expletives down the stretch, visibly battling the heat and pressure.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bleating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleating. Accessed 18 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share