hard of hearing

adjective

: relating to or having partial hearing loss

people who are hard of hearing

the deaf and hard of hearing community

… the task force … will ask the Nebraska Department of Education to hire a national consulting firm with expertise in the area of deaf and hard of hearing education to analyze Nebraska's system.

—Margaret Reist

Examples of hard of hearing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This year, for the first time and keeping with Parliament’s commitment to accessibility, shortlisted films have subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. —Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 15 Apr. 2026

In addition to specialty plates offered for purchase, there are specific plates to accommodate qualified individuals or vehicles, such as disability plates and deaf/hard of hearing plates. —Michelle Cruz, AZCentral.com, 27 Mar. 2026

About half of the child’s day is spent alongside general education students while the other half of the day includes breakout sessions tailored to deaf and hard of hearing students who will learn through oral approaches or total communication, which combines hearing and sign language. —Lina Ruiz, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 26 Mar. 2026

For deaf or hard of hearing individuals who need sign language interpreter services, the IRS says, call TTY/TDD 800-829-4059 to make an appointment. —Susan Tompor, Freep.com, 10 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1564, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for hard of hearing

• commandeering
• disappearing
• domineering
• engineering
• interfering
• overhearing
• persevering
• pioneering
• privateering
• profiteering
• racketeering
• reappearing

Kids Definition

hard-of-hearing

adjective

ˌhärd-ə(v)-ˈhi(ə)r-iŋ

: relating to or having a faulty but functional sense of hearing

Medical Definition

hard of hearing

adjective

hard of hear·​ing

ˌhärd-ə(v)-ˈhi(ə)r-iŋ

: relating to or having partial hearing loss

adults who are hard of hearing

the deaf and hard of hearing community