What does blatted mean?
'Blatted' is the past tense of the informal verb 'blat', which describes making a loud, harsh, raucous noise resembling the bleating of a sheep or the bawling of a calf. By extension, it can describe a person who blurts something out noisily or indiscreetly — revealing information they perhaps should have kept quiet. The word is strongly onomatopoeic: its blunt consonants and short vowel imitate the very sound it names. It belongs chiefly to informal American English and appears mostly in rural, colloquial, or humorous contexts, such as descriptions of farm animals or gossipy conversation. Because it is vivid and slightly comic in tone, writers use it for colour rather than precision. Related forms include the base verb 'blat' and the present participle 'blatting'. Readers encountering 'blatted' can safely parse it as a noisy, animal-like outcry or an indiscreet verbal eruption.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'blat')Past tense of 'blat': to make a harsh, raucous bleating sound like a sheep or calf; by extension, to utter something loudly or indiscreetly.
- To have made a loud, raucous bleating sound like a sheep or calf.
- To have blurted out or revealed something indiscreetly or noisily.
"The hungry calves blatted loudly across the pasture until someone came with feed."
"The lamb blatted pitifully after being separated from its mother."
"He blatted the whole secret to the first person he met at the party."
'Blatted' sounds like exactly what it means — a word so onomatopoeic that sheep practically invented it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of blatted
'Blat' is generally considered an imitative formation, echoing the sound of sheep or cattle, and likely arose in American English in the nineteenth century. It is closely associated with, and possibly influenced by, 'bleat', an older English word of similar imitative character. The verb developed a secondary sense of talking loudly or revealing things carelessly. It remains chiefly informal and regional to North America.
Related word forms
How blatted is actually used
Informal register, chiefly American usage. The word is onomatopoeic in origin and is most at home describing animal noises or indiscreet speech; it would sound out of place in formal writing.
Easily confused with blatted
'Blot' means a stain or to obscure, while 'blatted' is the past tense of 'blat', meaning to bleat or blurt out.