- present participle of hear.
hearing
Americannoun
-
the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived.
-
the act of perceiving sound.
-
opportunity to be heard.
to grant a hearing.
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an instance or a session in which testimony and arguments are presented, especially before an official, as a judge in a lawsuit.
- Synonyms:
- consultation, conference, audience
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a preliminary examination of the basic evidence and charges by a magistrate to determine whether criminal procedures, a trial, etc., are justified.
-
earshot.
Their conversation was beyond my hearing.
noun
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the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived
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an opportunity to be listened to
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the range within which sound can be heard; earshot
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the investigation of a matter by a court of law, esp the preliminary inquiry into an indictable crime by magistrates
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a formal or official trial of an action or lawsuit
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of hearing
Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at hear, -ing 1
Explanation
Hearing is the sense that allows you to distinguish sounds with your ears. Dogs have a particularly acute sense of hearing, and they can hear sounds pitched too high for humans to hear. You use your hearing when you attend a concert, listen to an audio book, or talk to a friend on the phone. Another kind of hearing is a legal process at which people state a case in front of a judge, so she can decide whether or not it should be presented at a trial with a jury. This kind of hearing gets its name from the idea that the court is "listening" to the evidence.
Vocabulary lists containing hearing
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 believe this is the right path because the facts and the law are on our side, and a full hearing will demonstrate why the plaintiffs’ arguments should not prevail,” Ellison wrote.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026
The sentencing hearing is to hear statements from over 100 victims.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
Craig Bowe, 42, battled the incoming tide at West Mersea, near Colchester, three times after hearing screams on Wednesday evening, while wife Carly, 43, rang 999.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
Greenspan personally praised “subprime loans” in his April 8, 2005 remarks at the Fed’s Fourth Annual Community Affairs Research Conference—which I distinctly remember hearing on the radio.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
“Will you be feeling well enough to come for your hearing soon?”
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
All parties will be back in court for the first of two hearings beginning Aug. 13 covering motions to dismiss the case brought by Bobby Dee Presents and Live Nation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
No pleas were entered during the short hearings at Newport Magistrates Court on Friday.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
After the hearings conclude, it will be up to the FDA to decide whether to greenlight the substances for compounders to make—and pave the way for a peptide gold rush.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
In New York City alone, roughly 4,440 people were ordered removed in June by an immigration judge because they missed their hearings, which is more than double the number in May.
From Slate ● Jul. 23, 2026
In October 1953, as the deportation hearings to send Joey back to the Philippines gain momentum, Joey writes an editorial for The Star, detailing her uphill battle for citizenship.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
