Synonyms

overhear

American

[oh-ver-heer] / ˌoʊ vərˈhɪər /

verb (used with object)

to hear (speech or a speaker) without the speaker's intention or knowledge.

I accidentally overheard what they were saying.

overhear British

/ ˌəʊvəˈhɪə /

verb

(tr) to hear (a person, remark, etc) without the knowledge of the speaker

"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

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

overhearer

noun

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of overhear

First recorded in 1540–50; over- + hear

Explanation

When you accidentally hear part of a private conversation, you overhear it. If you overhear your friends discussing the surprise party they're throwing for your birthday, you'll have to pretend to be surprised. Some restaurants have tables so close together that it's hard not to overhear what your neighbors are talking about. And so many people walk around talking loudly on their mobile phones that it's common to overhear several conversations (or, at least one half of them) just walking down the sidewalk. This is a modern phenomenon, but overhear is an old word, from the sixteenth century idea of hearing "beyond the normal range of the voice."

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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.

As I reviewed Tuesday’s events at a bar near Altman’s home in San Francisco’s Russian Hill neighborhood, I couldn’t help but overhear a conversation.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 2026

Further along the footpath around the old dock, I overhear an American accent.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

Sometimes because both my parents and Lucia’s parents have come during shooting to help because we have a new kid, sometimes they’ll overhear something and be like, “That’s funny.”

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 8, 2024

It was popular in competitive office environments — among, for example, salesmen who didn’t want the other fellas to overhear their leads.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 26, 2024

I look to make sure Kristina and Donna are still far enough away not to overhear.

From "Ask the Passengers" by A.S. King

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023