bleated

verb

past tense of bleat
1
as in complained
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 whimpered
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 bleated The old man bleated out a laugh. — Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bleated
  1. complained
  2. whimpered
  3. screamed
  4. cried
  5. whined
  6. moaned
  7. muttered
Verb
  • Some bettors have complained about customer service and payout issues being unresolved due to difficulties reaching a live person.
    — OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Colorado officials report that more than 100 people across Boulder County have also complained to the Federal Communications Commission.
    — Sarah Horbacewicz, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of complained
Verb
  • Over the course of two hours, witnesses watched and listened as Christa Pike cried, whimpered and snored through Tennessee’s attempt to execute her.
    — Keri Blakinger, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Pancho, a heavy-bodied Airedale, whimpered and rubbed against my leg with the expectation of excitement to come.
    — Frank C. Hibben, Outdoor Life, 15 July 2026
Definition of whimpered
Verb
  • Peralta pumped a fist and screamed joyfully walking off the mound in the sixth after fanning Petey Halpin swinging at a 3-2 changeup.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Back in California, Dodgers fans screamed at their television sets.
    — Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of screamed
Verb
  • Another girl cried non-stop—possibly from fear and nervousness rather than sorrow.
    — Yiyun Li, New Yorker, 13 Oct. 2026
  • At one point, Blair cried with tears running down her face, and her lawyer Reitzas moved to wipe them from her face as Blair remained handcuffed during the proceedings.
    — Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of cried
Verb
  • Post-Covid, Hollywood has whined about the falloff for MPA fare in Pan Asian territories, particularly the once-robust South Korea.
    — Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 28 July 2026
  • After a few casts, Rubye’s rod bent, and the reel whined as line spooled out.
    — John Todd, Outdoor Life, 9 July 2026
Definition of whined
Verb
  • Coach Arne Slot moaned about VAR but his problems lie much closer to home.
    — Phil Hay, New York Times, 4 May 2026
  • Critics moaned when the CFP committee picked the Hurricanes over Notre Dame as the last Power 4 entry into the playoffs.
    — Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026
Definition of moaned
Verb
  • The camera then cut to McCarthy, who muttered a profanity in response.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Heti stared at the drawing in front of her and muttered whatever under her breath.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026
Definition of muttered

Browse Nearby Words

bleat
bleated
bleater
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bleated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bleated. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of compunction

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All