bleat
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to give forth with or as if with a bleat.
He bleated his objections in a helpless rage.
-
to babble; prate.
noun
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the cry of a sheep, goat, or calf.
-
any similar sound.
the bleat of distant horns.
-
foolish, complaining talk; babble.
I listened to their inane bleat all evening.
verb
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(intr) (of a sheep, goat, or calf) to utter its characteristic plaintive cry
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(intr) to speak with any similar sound
-
to whine; whimper
noun
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the characteristic cry of sheep, goats, and young calves
-
any sound similar to this
-
a weak complaint or whine
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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bleatsimple
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bleatssimple
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have bleatedperfect
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has bleatedperfect
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am bleatingprogressive
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are bleatingprogressive
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is bleatingprogressive
-
have been bleatingperfect progressive
-
has been bleatingperfect progressive
Past
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bleatedsimple
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had bleatedperfect
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was bleatingprogressive
-
were bleatingprogressive
-
had been bleatingperfect progressive
Future
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.
Vocabulary lists containing bleat
Instead of "Said": Words That Sound Like What They Mean
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The Cay
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Ground Zero
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The following discusses minor spoilers from "The Sheep Detectives," but don't worry — it doesn't include one bleat about who the killer is.
From Salon • May 17, 2026
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
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
As soon as her feet hit the packed dirt of the road, a bleat from behind made her halt.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
