overhear
verb (used with object)
to hear (speech or a speaker) without the speaker's intention or knowledge.
overheard
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past participleof overhear.past participle
A verb form used in perfect and passive verb constructions and that can also function as a modifier.
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past tense formof overhear.past tense
Used to describe completed actions or previous habitual actions.
overhearverb (used with object)to hear (speech or a speaker) without the speaker's intention or knowledge.
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.
In Ansolabehere’s memory, Bartlett’s then-wife, Lisa, overheard the writers’ deliberations and casually suggested, “Maybe she’s in love with Arnold.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Mr. Wade calls this process of inheritance “catching,” the transmission of a tune without formal notation or instruction, overheard once and absorbed by musicians who may now be little remembered.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
She only learned about the reintroduction plan after asking rangers about discussions she had overheard.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
One local, wearing a traffic cone hat was overheard saying he was "totally bummed" his kilt didn't arrive in time.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
One morning, Iwas in the hall near the classroom door when I overheard her telling one of the parents that Jessica and her family had been living in town for a week or two already.
From "Firegirl" by Tony Abbott
