Word forms: 3rd person singular presenttense hears, present participle hearing, past tense, past participle heard (hɜːʳd)
1. verb
When you hear a sound, you become aware of it through your ears.
She heard no further sounds. [VERB noun]
The trumpet can be heard all over their house. [VERB noun]
They heard the protesters shout: 'No more fascism!'. [VERB noun infinitive]
And then we heard the bells ringing out. [VERB noun verb-ing]
I'm not hearing properly. [VERB]
Synonyms: overhear, catch, detect More Synonyms of hear
2. verb
If you hear something such as a lecture or a piece of music, you listen to it.
You can hear commentary on the match in about half an hour's time. [VERB noun]
I don't think you've ever heard Doris talking about her emotional life before. [VERB noun verb-ing]
I'd love to hear it played by a professional orchestra. [VERB noun -ed]
[Also V n inf]
Synonyms: listen to, heed, attend to, eavesdrop on More Synonyms of hear
3. verb [no cont]
If you say that you can hear someone saying something, you mean that you are able to imagine hearing it.
Can't you just hear the clichés roll? [VERB noun]
'I was hot,' I could still hear Charlotte say with her delicious French accent. [VERB noun infinitive]
4. verb
When a judge or a court of law hears a case, or evidence in a case, they listen to it officially in order to make a decision about it.
[formal]
The jury have heard evidence from defence witnesses. [VERB noun]
He had to wait months before his case was heard. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: try, judge, examine, investigate More Synonyms of hear
5. verb
If you hearfrom someone, you receive a letter, email, or phone call from them.
Drop us a line, it's always great to hear from you. [VERB + from]
The police are anxious to hear from anyone who may know her. [VERBfrom noun]
6. verb
In a debate or discussion, if you hear from someone, you listen to them giving their opinion or information.
What are you hearing from people there? [VERB + from]
7. verb
If you hear some news or information about something, you find out about it by someone telling you, or from the radio or television.
My mother heard of this school through Leslie. [V + of/about]
...the rumours I've been hearing about for years. [Vof/about n]
He had heard that the trophy had been sold. [VERB that]
I had waited to hear the result. [VERB noun]
Synonyms: learn, discover, find out, understand More Synonyms of hear
8. verb [no cont]
If you have heardof something or someone, you know about them, but not in great detail.
Many people haven't heard of reflexology. [VERB + of]
...people who, maybe, had hardly heard the word till a year or two ago. [VERB noun]
9.
See have heard sth before
10.
See do/did you hear (me)?
11.
See Hear,hear!
12.
See you can't hear yourself think
13.
See won't/wouldn't hear of sth
14. you could have heard a pin drop
Phrasal verbs:
See hear out
hear in British English
(hɪə)
verbWord forms: hears, hearing or heard (hɜːd)
1. (transitive)
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)
to hear of his success
have you heard?
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. (intransitive; foll byfrom)
to receive a letter, news, etc (from)
7. hear! hear!
8. hear tell
Derived forms
hearable (ˈhearable)
adjective
hearer (ˈhearer)
noun
Word origin
Old English hieran; related to Old Norse heyra, Gothic hausjan, Old High German hōren, Greek akouein
hear in American English
(hɪr)
verb transitiveWord forms: heard (hɜrd) or ˈhearing
1.
to perceive or sense (sounds), esp. through stimulation of auditory nerves in the ear by sound waves
2.
to listen to and consider
; specif.,
a.
to take notice of; pay attention to
hear what I tell you
b.
to listen to officially; give a formal hearing to
to hear a child's lessons
c.
to conduct an examination or hearing of (a law case, etc.); try
d.
to consent to; grant
hear my plea
e.
to understand
I hear you
f.
to be a member of the audience at (an opera, lecture, etc.)
3.
to be informed of; be told; learn
to hear a rumor
verb intransitive
4.
to have a normally functioning ear or ears; be able to hear sounds
5.
to listen
6.
to be told or informed (of or about)
Idioms:
hear from
hear! hear!
hear out
hear tell
not hear of
Derived forms
hearer (ˈhearer)
noun
Word origin
ME heren < OE hieran, akin to Ger hören (Goth hausjan) < IE base *keu-, to notice, observe > L cavere, be on one's guard, Gr koein, to perceive, hear
More idioms containing
hear
hear something through the grapevine
Examples of 'hear' in a sentence
hear
They are waiting to hear about whether they qualify.
Computing (2010)
You hear people talking about it for days leading up to the game.
The Sun (2016)
The appeal hearing could be heard in summer or autumn next year.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
She thought others on the beach would have heard screaming if something truly awful had happened.
The Sun (2016)
The next scene is in training and we hear him talking about the pressure.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
The elite refuses to see and hear what the people want.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The panel hearing the misconduct case have been told to strike any allegation that she acted with dishonesty.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
So talk, but listen to hear rather than listen to answer.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
She wanted to resume her studies but specialists expressed concerns, the Gloucester hearing heard.
The Sun (2016)
You may think this is the first time you have heard of this case.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
We would love to hear about it.
The Sun (2009)
You really feel that people want to hear music again.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Why must a secret service fair hearing be heard in secret?
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
We heard something terrible had happened at the match.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
You hear of people who wait all their lives to become an overnight sensation.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
People love football and always want to hear something.
The Sun (2014)
His wife is unfit to stand trial and her case is being heard in her absence.
The Sun (2010)
Everyone has heard about the fear of the unknown.
Christianity Today (2000)
His independent voice of protest and reason began to be heard at licensing hearings.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
Not something you often hear from the average pop trumpet.
The Sun (2011)
It is love at first listen when you hear an intriguing accent.
The Sun (2009)
It could be love at first listen when you hear a distinctive voice.
The Sun (2009)
Yet it is a grim certainty we will hear cases like this for years and years to come.
The Sun (2012)
But sometimes he will ask them if they mind the music being played and if they would prefer to hear something else.
Brian Hoey AT HOME WITH THE QUEEN: The Inside Story of the Royal Household (2002)
In other languages
hear
British English: hear /hɪə/ VERB
When you hear sounds, you are aware of them because they reach your ears.
I heard the sound of a car.
I'm not hearing properly.
American English: hear
Arabic: يَسْمَعُ
Brazilian Portuguese: ouvir
Chinese: 听
Croatian: čuti
Czech: slyšet
Danish: høre
Dutch: horen
European Spanish: oír
Finnish: kuulla
French: entendre
German: hören
Greek: ακούω
Italian: ascoltare
Japanese: 聞く
Korean: 듣다
Norwegian: høre
Polish: usłyszeć
European Portuguese: ouvir
Romanian: a auzi
Russian: слышать
Latin American Spanish: oír
Swedish: höra
Thai: ได้ยิน
Turkish: işitmek
Ukrainian: чути
Vietnamese: nghe
All related terms of 'hear'
hear! hear!
During political debates and public meetings , people sometimes say ' Hear hear! ' to express their agreement with what the speaker is saying .
hear from
to get a letter, telegram , etc. from
hear out
If you hear someone out , you listen to them without interrupting them until they have finished saying everything that they want to say .
hear tell
to be told (about); learn (of)
hear music
Music is the pattern of sounds produced by people singing or playing instruments.
hear-through
(of headphones ) allowing a user to be aware of ambient sounds
hear a peep
If you say that you don't hear a peep from someone, you mean that they do not say anything or make any noise .
not hear of
to forbid or refuse to consider
hear a rumour
A rumour is a story or piece of information that may or may not be true, but that people are talking about.
hear a scream
When someone screams , they make a very loud , high-pitched cry , for example because they are in pain or are very frightened .
hear the message
The message that someone is trying to communicate , for example in a book or play, is the idea or point that they are trying to communicate.
do/did you hear (me)?
If you say ' Do you hear ? ' or ' Did you hear me? ' to someone, you are telling them in an angry or forceful way to pay attention to what you are saying .
won't/wouldn't hear of sth
If you say that you won't hear of someone doing something, you mean that you refuse to let them do it.
you can't hear yourself think
If you say that you can't hear yourself think , you are complaining and emphasizing that there is a lot of noise , and that it is disturbing you or preventing you from doing something.
hear something through the grapevine
to hear about something informally,from the people you know
you could have heard a pin drop you could hear a pin drop
You can say you could have heard a pin drop when a place is extremely quiet , especially because everyone is waiting for someone to speak or when someone has made a shocking remark .
Chinese translation of 'hear'
hear
(hɪəʳ)
Word forms:ptppheard (həːd)
vt
[sound, voice, music]听(聽)见(見) (tīngjiàn)
⇒ He heard voices in the garden.他听见从花园里传来的声音。 (Tā tīngjiàn cóng huāyuán li chuánlái de shēngyīn.)
(= listen to)[news, lecture, concert]听(聽) (tīng)
⇒ I heard the news on the radio this morning.我今天早上听了新闻广播。 (Wǒ jīntiān zǎoshang tīngle xīnwén guǎngbō.)
⇒ We went to hear the Berlin Philharmonic.我们去听了柏林交响乐团的演出。 (Wǒmen qù tīngle Bólín Jiāoxiǎngyuètuán de yǎnchū.)
(Law)[case, evidence]审(審)理 (shěnlǐ)
to hear sb doing sth听(聽)见(見)某人做某事 (tīngjiàn mǒurén zuò mǒushì)
to hear that ... 听(聽)说(說) ... (tīngshuō ... )
I've heard it all before我早就听(聽)了多少遍了 (wǒ zǎo jiù tīngle duōshǎo biàn le)
to hear about sth/sb听(聽)说(說)某事/某人 (tīngshuō mǒushì/mǒurén)
to hear from sb得到某人的消息 (dédào mǒurén de xiāoxi)
have you heard of Damien Hirst?你有没(沒)有听(聽)说(說)过(過)戴米安·赫斯特? (nǐ yǒu méi yǒu tīngshuō guo Dàimǐ'ān Hèsītè?)
I've never heard of him我从(從)来(來)没(沒)听(聽)说(說)过(過)他 (wǒ cónglái méi tīngshuō guo tā)
I wouldn't or won't hear of it!我坚(堅)决(決)不同意！ (wǒ jiānjué bù tóngyì!)
hear, hear (Brit, frm) 说(說)的好，说(說)的好 (shuō de hǎo, shuō de hǎo)
All related terms of 'hear'
hear, hear
( Brit : frm ) 说(說)的好，说(說)的好 shuō de hǎo, shuō de hǎo