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:
"When we hear an air‑raid alert, I pray to God -- and to our air defence, because the life of our city depends on them," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
McCourt said she wanted to hear from people in different areas across Scotland.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The mourning is also a form of group therapy, allowing those who never knew the deceased personally to hear about their legacy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
Yet, even as a journalist who covers public health, every time I hear about a case of “the plague,” I get a little shiver down the spine.
From Slate ● Oct. 8, 2026
Sometimes you'll hear brain researchers talk about a "right brain" or a "left brain" skill.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
Micron said it hears "the concerns our team members have raised" and will "take them seriously".
From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026
Smith says he regularly hears complaints about the cost of fuel from trucker friends who have long commutes for work.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 3, 2026
First, a guy hears about the currency from a friend.
From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026
He hears them when walking through a nearby park overlooking Long Island Sound.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
His cousin delivers fish wrapped in foreign newspapers, and he hears the Germans aren’t doing well in their war against Russia.
From "The Light in Hidden Places" by Sharon Cameron
Keepers at Sydney's Taronga Zoo trained two sea lions and two fur seals to listen to sounds and press a paddle when they heard a tone.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
Residents across the city said they heard at least five huge booms Thursday morning but received no alerts or warnings on their phones from authorities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Hayler has suggested his ex-wife had "launched a campaign" against him when their marriage ended, and the allegations formed part of this, the court heard.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
He said on the night of the fire he heard a "massive bang" that went through the house, which was "very loud and very hard to miss".
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
“Land filled with forests, redwoods, all kinds of animals, Will. Mountain lions, wolves, deer. Ranges are overrun with bighorn sheep. Amazing country, I’ve heard said. An unbelievable promised land.”
From "Will’s Race for Home" by Jewell Parker Rhodes
"These hearing tests give us that baseline and allow us to start asking how noises from ships, boats, aircraft and coastal construction might affect seals and sea lions."
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
The Australian law firms representing Adidas and White Fox both declined to comment on the case, the first hearing due to begin on Friday.
From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026
The most difficult part for me was hearing the rhythm of it.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
We rip our clothes on hearing of the death of a family member.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
I don’t remember ever hearing her sing that,” I admit.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
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.
