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View synonyms for hear

hear

[ heer ]

verb (used with object)

, heard [hurd], hear·ing.
  1. to perceive by the ear:

    Didn't you hear the doorbell?

    Synonyms: attend

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

    to hear news.

    Synonyms: attend

  3. to listen to; give or pay attention to:

    They refused to hear our side of the argument.

  4. to be among the audience at or of (something):

    to hear a recital.

    Synonyms: attend

  5. to give a formal, official, or judicial hearing to (something); consider officially, as a judge, sovereign, teacher, or assembly:

    to hear a case.

  6. to take or listen to the evidence or testimony of (someone):

    to hear the defendant.

  7. to listen to with favor, assent, or compliance.

    Synonyms: heed, regard

    Antonyms: disregard

  8. (of a computer) to perceive by speech recognition.


verb (used without object)

, heard [hurd], hear·ing.
  1. to be capable of perceiving sound by the ear; have the faculty of perceiving sound vibrations.
  2. to receive information by the ear or otherwise:

    to hear from a friend.

  3. to listen with favor, assent, or compliance (often followed by of ):

    I will not hear of your going.

  4. (of a computer) to be capable of perceiving by speech recognition.
  5. (used as an interjection in the phrase Hear! Hear! to express approval, as of a speech.)

hear

/ hɪə /

verb

  1. tr to perceive (a sound) with the sense of hearing
  2. tr; may take a clause as object to listen to

    did you hear what I said?

  3. whenintr, sometimes foll by of or about; when tr, may take a clause as object to be informed (of); receive information (about)

    have you heard?

    to hear of his success

  4. law to give a hearing to (a case)
  5. whenintr, usually foll by of and used with a negative to listen (to) with favour, assent, etc

    she wouldn't hear of it

  6. intrfoll byfrom to receive a letter, news, etc (from)
  7. hear! hear!
    an exclamation used to show approval of something said
  8. hear tell dialect.
    to be told (about); learn (of)
“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
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Derived Forms

  • ˈhearable, adjective
  • ˈhearer, noun
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Other Words From

  • hear·a·ble adjective
  • hear·er noun
  • out·hear verb (used with object) outheard outhearing
  • re·hear verb reheard rehearing
  • un·hear·a·ble adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hear1

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 ( acoustic )
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Word History and Origins

Origin of hear1

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

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

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.
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Example Sentences

Though she told investigators she remembered hearing Lillienfeld’s comments about the Black women “jumping him,” she said she wasn’t offended.

Many in the room here in Liverpool Town Hall would prefer not to hear Letby's name uttered again - but more than a year after her trial ended, questions remain.

From BBC

It comes after a BBC News investigation heard allegations of inappropriate sexual comments and inappropriate behaviour by 13 people who worked with Wallace across a range of shows over a 17-year period.

From BBC

The shopkeeper had held the licence for only a month when he rang the police on 999 that night, with the operator reporting “several raised voices could be heard in the background shouting and swearing”.

From BBC

Miss Hudson has now been told there will be a court hearing within six months.

From BBC

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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.

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