hear
Americanverb (used with object)
-
hears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
heard,
past participle, past
-
hearing
present participle
-
to perceive by the ear.
Didn't you hear the doorbell?
- Synonyms:
- attend
-
to learn by the ear or by being told; be informed of.
to hear news.
- Synonyms:
- attend
-
to listen to; give or pay attention to.
They refused to hear our side of the argument.
-
to be among the audience at or of (something).
to hear a recital.
- Synonyms:
- attend
-
to give a formal, official, or judicial hearing to (something); consider officially, as a judge, sovereign, teacher, or assembly.
to hear a case.
-
to take or listen to the evidence or testimony of (someone).
to hear the defendant.
-
to listen to with favor, assent, or compliance.
- Antonyms:
- disregard
-
(of a computer) to perceive by speech recognition.
verb (used without object)
-
hears,
present (3rd person singular)
-
heard,
past participle, past
-
hearing
present participle
-
to be capable of perceiving sound by the ear; have the faculty of perceiving sound vibrations.
-
to receive information by the ear or otherwise.
to hear from a friend.
-
to listen with favor, assent, or compliance (often followed byof ).
I will not hear of your going.
-
(of a computer) to be capable of perceiving by speech recognition.
-
(used as an interjection in the phrase Hear! Hear! to express approval, as of a speech.)
verb
-
(tr) to perceive (a sound) with the sense of hearing
-
(tr; may take a clause as object) to listen to
did you hear what I said?
-
to be informed (of); receive information (about)
to hear of his success
have you heard?
-
law to give a hearing to (a case)
-
to listen (to) with favour, assent, etc
she wouldn't hear of it
-
to receive a letter, news, etc (from)
-
an exclamation used to show approval of something said
-
dialect to be told (about); learn (of)
Synonym Usage
Hear, listen apply to the perception of sound. To hear is to have such perception by means of the auditory sense: to hear distant bells. To listen is to give attention in order to hear and understand the meaning of a sound or sounds: to listen to what is being said; to listen for a well-known footstep.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
hearsimple
-
hearssimple
-
have heardperfect
-
has heardperfect
-
am hearingprogressive
-
are hearingprogressive
-
is hearingprogressive
-
have been hearingperfect progressive
-
has been hearingperfect progressive
Past
-
heardsimple
-
had heardperfect
-
was hearingprogressive
-
were hearingprogressive
-
had been hearingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hear
First recorded before 950; Middle English heren, Old English hēran, hīeran; cognate with Dutch horen, German hören, Old Norse heyra, Gothic hausjan; perhaps akin to Greek akoúein ( see acoustic)
Explanation
When you hear, you perceive a noise made by someone or something — like a person’s voice, the song of a bird, or the torturous sound of a ticking clock on a sleepless night. While hear generally means to perceive a noise, it has several senses, including to listen carefully, as to a story. If you hear from someone, they have contacted you in some way, such as by phone call, email, or even snail mail. A judge will also hear a case when she presides over a trial. And when you hear the news, you’ve gotten information or found something out. But you didn’t hear it from me.
Vocabulary lists containing hear
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.
See Examples For:
“We often hear, ‘I don’t want to jeopardize my retirement,’” said Jessica Ray, a Washington, D.C., senior growth adviser with Brighton Jones, a wealth-management firm.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
"He doesn't want to hear it. You don't tell him anything. Just grin at him and let him be."
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
When conducting research in the archives of an abandoned asylum, a woman begins to hear the voices of the insane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
While most of his career was spent onstage, you’ll find his name in the credits of many films and shows and hear his baritone in a slew of video games and animated work.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
Mrs. Gage is delighted to hear from the doctor who'd done so much for her son.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Listening to “Sunburst” now, about the weary rock star, one hears the song as a harbinger of the arduous touring that lay ahead for Mr. Seger as he sustained his realized dream.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 29, 2026
But an AI assistant hears travelers describe their budgets, preferences and plans in their own words.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026
Micron said it hears "the concerns our team members have raised" and will "take them seriously".
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
"Those two matters are not specific to Essex and therefore the evidence the inquiry hears will be of relevance to service providers across the entire country," Baroness Lampard said.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
I look over at Sneaky, and I hope he hears what I’m telling him, even though I don’t say a thing.
From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist
The court heard that Cancer Research UK has been operating its scheme for 25 years, providing people with access to a free will writing service.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026
You may have heard of this phenomenon, known as the “great wealth transfer.”
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 31, 2026
He even heard the ding the fridge makes when someone waves their hand under the door sensor to open it.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2026
Forkish, the former spokesperson, told The Times that she has heard from journalists “here in Los Angeles and around the world who say they’re struggling to get responses to media inquiries and public records requests.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 31, 2026
“At a place no one has ever heard of or seen.”
From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith
This individual had experienced serious physical disabilities, including a paralyzed arm, arthritis, hearing loss, and partial blindness.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 31, 2026
He also spoke to James Samuel, 100, who is in a wheelchair, with the the King hearing how aged 19 he enlisted in the British Guiana Volunteer Force in 1943.
From BBC ● Oct. 30, 2026
“This is a paradigm shift,” California Natural Resources Secretary Wade Crowfoot told the board during Thursday’s hearing.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2026
The sheer joy of watching Stewart’s comic turns in shows like “Extras” or hearing his voice in ludicrous contexts was magnified by the majesty he lent to his dramatic work.
From Salon ● Oct. 30, 2026
I feel safer hearing that and decide that I do want to vent to her.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
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