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

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

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

This pageant of puppetry includes a flutter of butterflies, a goat with a plaintive bleat, a menagerie of wild animals and, at one point, a school of glowing fish.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 9, 2025

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

On “Saturday Night Live,” Gilda Radner mocked Ms. Walters’ voice, which Vogue characterized as “a distinctive Boston bleat at once flat, hoarse and nasal.”

From New York Times ● Dec. 31, 2022

Despite clarinet squeaks and the occasional bleat of a rogue saxophone, almost every student was smiling.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 18, 2022

His voice was a hellish bleat as he dropped on the ground.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

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

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

One of the saddest moments in series finale "With Open Eyes" is when Kendall, on the verge of losing the board vote, bleats, "I'm the eldest boy."

From Salon ● May 29, 2023

During all this, there are synthesizer fanfares befitting a vintage video game, along with some drums and low bleats for drive and the occasional unsettling addition of high-pitched noises.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2023

It bounded away through the high, dry grass, and she could hear the nasal bleats of greeting from its flock.

From "Son" by Lois Lowry

The animals bleated from behind a wooden fence.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 25, 2025

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

I have bleated on about it a lot but that is the sort of thing that will make a significant difference to the England side.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2023

I met her in the enclosed, hay-carpeted barn where she spends nights; she sniffed at me cautiously and then bleated an abrupt greeting, or maybe it was a warning.

From New York Times ● Jul. 3, 2014

In answer, the Zamani goat bleated back at him.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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

The air thrums with the din of destruction — giant excavators clanking against steel beams, trucks bleating out warning signals as they back into position, green organic material whooshing out of hoses onto finished sites.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 20, 2025

Sometimes at press conferences, we sound like bleating sheep.

From Salon ● Jun. 6, 2024

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

Zvezda limped up to her, bleating loudly, with his tongue lolling out of his mouth.

From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack