hard of hearing

American  

[hahrd-uhv-heer-ing] / ˈhɑrd əvˈhɪər ɪŋ /

Or hard-of-hearing

adjective

1. having reduced or deficient hearing ability; having mild, moderate, or severe hearing loss.

   We provide amplified phones for those who are hard of hearing so that they can communicate with friends and family.

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noun

(used with a plural verb)

1. people who have reduced or deficient hearing ability.

   Besides being an aid for the hard of hearing, subtitles improve comprehension for viewers learning a different language.

hard of hearing British  

adjective

1. 1. deaf or partly deaf

   2. ( as collective noun; preceded by the )

      the hard of hearing

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hard of hearing Idioms  

1. Somewhat deaf, having a partial loss of hearing. For example, You'll have to speak distinctly; Dad's a little hard of hearing. The use of hard in the sense of “difficulty in doing something” survives only in this expression. [Mid-1500s]

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Etymology

Origin of hard of hearing

First recorded in 1555–65

Example Sentences

“Even though it was originally made for the deaf and hard of hearing, it really has a huge following with college kids,” said BrieAnne McKenna, marketing director at Sonic Alert.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

"For hard of hearing people, phone banking is challenging, and for visually impaired people, online banking can be really difficult," Miss Kinsella added.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

Speech-to-text programs are becoming more popular for everyday tasks like hands-free dictation, helping people who are visually impaired, and transcribing speech for those who are hard of hearing.

From Science Daily • Nov. 21, 2024

Sall and three other students are part of a new approach in a small number of schools in Senegal that seat those who are deaf and hard of hearing with the rest of the class.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 9, 2024

Autumn has always been competitive, and I’ve asked myself if her being hard of hearing had something to do with it.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer