Bleat definitions

Webster's 1828 Dictionary

BLEAT, v.i. [L. blatero; plaudo.] To make the noise of a sheep; to cry as a sheep.
BLEAT, n. The cry of a sheep.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the sound of sheep or goats (or any sound resembling this) v
1: talk whiningly
2: cry plaintively; "The lambs were bleating" [syn: bleat, blate, blat, baa]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English bleten, from Old English bl?tan; akin to Latin fl?re to weep, Old English bellan to roar — more at bellow Date: before 12th century intransitive verb 1. a. to make the natural cry of a sheep or goat; also to utter a similar sound b. whimper 2. a. to talk complainingly or with a whine b. blather transitive verb to utter in a bleating manner • bleater noun II. noun Date: circa 1505 1. the cry of a sheep or goat; also a similar sound <the bleat of a cell phone> 2. a feeble outcry, protest, or complaint

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. (of a sheep, goat, or calf) make a weak, wavering cry. 2 intr. & tr. (often foll. by out) speak or say feebly, foolishly, or plaintively. --n. 1 the sound made by a sheep, goat, etc. 2 a weak, plaintive, or foolish cry. Derivatives: bleater n. bleatingly adv. Etymology: OE blætan (imit.)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bleat Bleat, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Bleated; p. pr. & vb. n. Bleating.] [OE. bleten, AS. bl?tan; akin to D. blaten, bleeten, OHG. bl[=a]zan, pl[=a]zan; prob. of imitative origin.] To make the noise of, or one like that of, a sheep; to cry like a sheep or calf. Then suddenly was heard along the main, To low the ox, to bleat the woolly train. --Pope The ewe that will not hear her lamb when it baas, will never answer a calf when he bleats. --Shak.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Bleat Bleat, n. A plaintive cry of, or like that of, a sheep. The bleat of fleecy sheep. --Chapman's Homer.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(bleats, bleating, bleated) 1. When a sheep or goat bleats, it makes the sound that sheep and goats typically make. From the slope below, the wild goats bleated faintly. ...a small flock of bleating ewes and lambs. VERB: V, V-ing • Bleat is also a noun. ...the faint bleat of a distressed animal. N-COUNT 2. If you say that someone bleats about something, you mean that they complain about it in a way which makes them sound weak and irritating. They are always bleating about 'unfair' foreign competition... Don't come bleating to me every time something goes wrong. = whinge, whine VERB: V about n, V prep/adv, also V that [disapproval]

Moby Thesaurus

bark, bawl, bay, beef, bell, bellow, bellyache, bitch, blare, blat, blate, blow off, bray, call, caterwaul, crab, cry, fuss, give tongue, give voice, howl, low, meow, mew, mewl, miaow, moo, neigh, nicker, pule, roar, screak, scream, screech, squall, squawk, squeak, squeal, troat, ululate, wail, whicker, whine, whinny, yammer, yap, yawl, yawp, yelp, yip, yowl