bleat

American  

[bleet] / blit /

verb (used without object)

• bleats,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bleated,
  past participle,  past
• bleating
  present participle

1. to utter the cry of a sheep, goat, or calf or a sound resembling such a cry.

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verb (used with object)

• bleats,
  present (3rd person singular)
• bleated,
  past participle,  past
• bleating
  present participle

1. to give forth with or as if with a bleat.

   He bleated his objections in a helpless rage.

2. to babble; prate.

noun

• bleats
  plural

1. the cry of a sheep, goat, or calf.

2. any similar sound.

   the bleat of distant horns.

3. foolish, complaining talk; babble.

   I listened to their inane bleat all evening.

bleat British  

/ bliːt /

verb

1. (intr) (of a sheep, goat, or calf) to utter its characteristic plaintive cry

2. (intr) to speak with any similar sound

3. to whine; whimper

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noun

1. the characteristic cry of sheep, goats, and young calves

2. any sound similar to this

3. a weak complaint or whine

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• bleater
  noun
• bleating
  noun
• outbleat
  verb (used with object)
• bleatingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• bleats
  plural

Participles

• bleating
  present
• bleated
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• bleat
  simple
• bleats
  simple
• have bleated
  perfect
• has bleated
  perfect
• am bleating
  progressive
• are bleating
  progressive
• is bleating
  progressive
• have been bleating
  perfect progressive
• has been bleating
  perfect progressive

Past

• bleated
  simple
• had bleated
  perfect
• was bleating
  progressive
• were bleating
  progressive
• had been bleating
  perfect progressive

Future

• will bleat
  simple
• will have bleated
  perfect
• will be bleating
  progressive
• will have been bleating
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of bleat

before 1000; Middle English bleten, Old English blǣtan; cognate with Dutch blaten, Old High German blāzen; akin to Latin flēre to weep

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Explanation

The sound a lamb or calf makes is a bleat. If you hear tiny bleats coming from your barn, you'll know the new baby goats were born at last. Many animals might bleat, though a bleat is a slightly weak, high-pitched sound, which is why it's typically made by young animals. When baby animals bleat, their mothers naturally go to them to feed or comfort them. You might also describe a human's cry or whine as a bleat, if it's particularly pitiful. The word comes from a Germanic root, and it's imitative of the sound itself.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bleat bleats bleated bleating

Only one of the castrati lived to record: Allesandro Moreschi, who sang with a plaintive, eerily haunting bleat, on discs made in the Sistine Chapel between 1902 and 1904.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Rhapsodizing about condiments to a ship of starving workers, Ylfa may as well bleat, “Let them eat ketchup!”

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 7, 2025

Around him in the fenced-in yard, four goats bleat and 18 turkeys and more than 20 chickens peck at the grass.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 8, 2023

This is how Shiv, Kendall and Rome end up watching Connor bleat a forlorn cover of Marissa Nadler's "Famous Blue Raincoat" as Logan descends from on high to invade their musical bunker.

From Salon ● Apr. 3, 2023

Zvezda lay next to her with his head on her leg, and when he saw her look at him, he offered a gentle bleat.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack

Like all the other animals, he expresses himself through bleats, grunts and hugely dynamic facial expressions - which is part of his global appeal.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

A heavy quiet hangs over Theofilou's farm in the absence of the bleats from the sheep and the tinkle of their bells.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

Meanwhile, Michael Giacchino’s score soars between bleats of triumph and barbershop-chorus charm, a combination that can sound like an automobile show unveiling the first convertible with tail fins.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2025

Sixty Nigerian dwarf goats are taking turns crashing their horns against wooden stalls while unleashing a cacophony of bleats, groans, and retching wails that make it nearly impossible to hold a conversation.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 7, 2023

As if on cue, Carmine bleats in my lap.

From "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline

The animals bleated from behind a wooden fence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2025

Ms Turner told the Northern Times it bleated out to her and fellow kayakers.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2023

One of the 19 animals who survived bleated as Raptis grabbed its face to reveal the burns on its ear.

From Reuters ● Sep. 3, 2023

A loud, sour-sounding horn bleated, piercing through the noise of the crowd, whose cries coalesced into an accusatory chant: “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!”

From New York Times ● Jan. 4, 2022

At the road he halted, briefly apprehensive about the backhoe, but he recommenced his hasty retreat with a jump as the old man bleated, “Get going! Beat it! Go home!”

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

The bleating trumpet on the following “Before I Knew” recalls Mark Isham’s work on the horn when he was in Van Morrison’s band in the early ’80s.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Those juxtaposed scenes of bleating livestock and skinned carcasses still leave an impression, but they’re just one strand in a tapestry of threads, none of them given more importance than the others.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 26, 2025

It featured several swipes at his perceived enemies and wild bleating cheers from his favorite sycophants.

From Salon ● Mar. 6, 2025

At the top, a spacious bungalow stands next to a large shed, full of bleating sheep smothering the strains of pop music from a radio.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2024

He predicted the date of the end of the world, and the whole county moved bleating in on him.

From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck

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