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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jeremy Zimdars, a parent whose daughter attends Lowell Elementary, advocated for keeping the school open because of the services the school provides for deaf and hard of hearing students. Alec Johnson, jsonline.com, 11 Sep. 2025 Larry, who also had a limp and was hard of hearing, was last seen walking away from the Pied Piper Tavern in the downtown area of Kent, according to FOX affiliate KCPQ. Abigail Adams, People.com, 27 Aug. 2025 To keep not only his identity a secret, but to keep all information exchanged secret, Ash uses the Tri-State Telecommunications Relay Service, a service that enables those who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech issues to communicate over the telephone. Meredith G. White, AZCentral.com, 20 Aug. 2025 The National Deaf Center says that the 2021 American Community Survey estimates about 3.6% of the U.S. population, or about 11 million individuals, are deaf or hard of hearing. Marina Johnson, Louisville Courier Journal, 5 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for hard of hearing

Word History

First Known Use

1564, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of hard of hearing was in 1564

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Cite this Entry

“Hard of hearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hard%20of%20hearing. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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