Definition of "bleat"

bleat

/ˈbliːt/

noun
plural bleats
1. The characteristic cry of a sheep or a goat.
verb
third-person singular simple present bleats, present participle bleating, simple past and past participle bleated
1. Of a sheep or goat, to make its characteristic cry; of a human, to mimic this sound.
  Quotations
  In the year 1633, the Bridget Nuns, near Xanthus, behaved like sheep, jumping about and bleating continuously.
  1936, Rollo Ahmed, The Black Art, London: Long, page 99
2. (informal, derogatory) Of a person, to complain.
3. (informal, derogatory) Of a person, to say things of little importance to the listener.
  Quotations
  She came skipping to me just now, clapping her little hands and bleating about how very, very happy she was, dear Mrs Travers. The silly young geezer. I nearly conked her one with my trowel.
  1960, P[elham] G[renville] Wodehouse, chapter XVII, in Jeeves in the Offing, London: Herbert Jenkins
  I can't have, for instance, Heracles come bleating to me at some future date, asking please can he have his bow back, and getting all stroppy when I refuse to tell him where it is.
  2016, James Lovegrove, Age of Heroes‎, Solaris