hearing

[ heer-ing ]

/ ˈhɪər ɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hearing ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived.

the act of perceiving sound.

opportunity to be heard: to grant a hearing.

an instance or a session in which testimony and arguments are presented, especially before an official, as a judge in a lawsuit.

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.

Nearby words

hear out, hear, hear, heard and mcdonald islands, heard island and mcdonald islands, hearer, hearing, hearing aid, hearing dog, hearing impairment, hearing loss, hearing-ear dog

Origin of hearing

Middle English word dating back to 1175–1225; see origin at hear, -ing¹

SYNONYMS FOR hearing

4 audience, conference, consultation.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hearing ON THESAURUS.COM

Related formshear·ing·less, adjectivepre·hear·ing, nounun·hear·ing, adjective

Definition for hearing (2 of 2)

hear

[ heer ]

/ hɪər /

verb (used with object), heard [hurd] /hɜrd/, hear·ing.

to perceive by the ear: Didn't you hear the doorbell?

to learn by the ear or by being told; be informed of: to hear news.

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.

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.

(of a computer) to perceive by speech recognition.

verb (used without object), heard [hurd] /hɜrd/, hear·ing.

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 by of): 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).

Origin of hear

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)

SYNONYMS FOR hear

1, 2 attend. 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.

4 attend.

7 regard, heed.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hear ON THESAURUS.COM

ANTONYMS FOR hear

7 disregard.

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Related forms

hear·a·ble, adjectivehear·er, nounhalf-heard, adjectiveout·hear, verb (used with object), out·heard, out·hear·ing.

re·hear, verb, re·heard, re·hear·ing.un·hear·a·ble, adjectivewell-heard, adjective

Can be confusedhear hereheard herd

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hearing

But if you have a hearing and you prove that someone is mature enough, well then that state interest evaporates.
Should Teens Have The Right To Die?|Brandy Zadrozny|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Or is it simply that what you are hearing and seeing about race in the media seems worse?
Obama Is Right on Race. The Media Is Wrong.|Keli Goff|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A hearing to decide the question of whether or not Livvix will remain in custody takes place on Dec. 21.
The Strange Case of the Christian Zionist Terrorist|Creede Newton|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
At the end of the hearing Gruber walked out silently, surrounded by cameras and accompanied by his lawyer.
Obamacare Architect: I Wanted to Sound Smart|Ben Jacobs|December 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Will we possibly be hearing about the Alexandria Safe-Zone soon?!
‘Walking Dead’ Showrunner Scott Gimple Teases ‘Darker, Weirder’ Times Ahead|Melissa Leon|December 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The latter would sometimes exclaim, before the agents and the heirs were fairly out of hearing, "I can't understand the thing!"
Ursula|Honore de Balzac
Hearing the report of our guns, the flock flew towards the wood for shelter.
Snow Shoes and Canoes|William H. G. Kingston
I met the Ohio statesman one morning at breakfast, after hearing him the night before.
Eighty Years And More; Reminiscences 1815-1897|Elizabeth Cady Stanton
But in the fifteenth century God and Humanity were both hard of hearing.
The Story of Joan of Arc|M. M. Mangasarian
Any unnecessary work or any recreation which hinders us from hearing and profiting by God's Word is sinful.
An Explanation of Luther's Small Catechism|Joseph Stump

British Dictionary definitions for hearing (1 of 2)

hearing

/ (ˈhɪərɪŋ) /

noun

the faculty or sense by which sound is perceivedRelated adjective: audio

an opportunity to be listened to

the range within which sound can be heard; earshot

the investigation of a matter by a court of law, esp the preliminary inquiry into an indictable crime by magistrates

a formal or official trial of an action or lawsuit

British Dictionary definitions for hearing (2 of 2)

hear

/ (hɪə) /

verb hears, hearing or heard (hɜːd)

(tr) to perceive (a sound) with the sense of hearing

(tr; may take a clause as object) to listen todid you hear what I said?

(when intr, sometimes foll by of or about; when tr, may take a clause as object) to be informed (of); receive information (about)to hear of his success; have you heard?

law to give a hearing to (a case)

(when intr, usually foll by of and used with a negative) to listen (to) with favour, assent, etcshe wouldn't hear of it

(intr foll by from) to receive a letter, news, etc (from)

hear! hear! an exclamation used to show approval of something said

hear tell dialect to be told (about); learn (of)

Derived Formshearable, adjectivehearer, noun

Word Origin for hear

Old English hieran; related to Old Norse heyra, Gothic hausjan, Old High German hōren, Greek akouein

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medicine definitions for hearing (1 of 2)

hearing

[ hîr′ĭng ]

n.

The sense by which sound is perceived; the capacity to hear.

Medicine definitions for hearing (2 of 2)

hear

[ hîr ]

v.

To perceive (sound) by the ear.

Idioms and Phrases with hearing

hear

In addition to the idioms beginning with hear

hear a peep out of
hear a pin drop, can
hear from
hear of
hear oneself think, can't
hear out

also see:

another county heard from
hard of hearing
never hear the end of
not have it (hear of it)
unheard of

hearing

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of hearing

Definition for hearing (2 of 2)

hear

verb (used with object), heard [hurd] /hɜrd/, hear·ing.

verb (used without object), heard [hurd] /hɜrd/, hear·ing.

Origin of hear

Examples from the Web for hearing

British Dictionary definitions for hearing (1 of 2)

hearing

noun

British Dictionary definitions for hearing (2 of 2)

hear

verb hears, hearing or heard (hɜːd)

Word Origin for hear

Medicine definitions for hearing (1 of 2)

hearing

n.

Medicine definitions for hearing (2 of 2)

hear

v.

Idioms and Phrases with hearing

hear