- 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:
LA28 has tried to keep tickets affordable, but hearing that nearly half of the tickets are under $200, including the service fee, and 75% are under $400 is still a steep price for many fans.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
The decision came after a five-day preliminary hearing, in which Los Angeles prosecutors questioned a dozen witnesses and displayed photographic evidence as 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez's family watched on.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
The first procedural hearing for the Renault trial is scheduled for April 2027.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
“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
It looked like Lloyd was hearing the music of the spheres.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
Justice Jackson had also avoided the question in her 2022 confirmation hearings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Many respondents missed their hearings and were issued default orders of removal.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 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
During one of the initial hearings, the prosecutor declined to read the indictment aloud in court.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
She said, “I want to know the location of the court. The court where sentencing and bail hearings are being held.”
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
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.
