hear

verb

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\ ˈhir

heard\ ˈhərd

\; hearing\ ˈhir-iŋ

Definition of hear

transitive verb

1 : to perceive or become aware of by the ear didn't hear what she said thought I heard them leave

2 : to gain knowledge of by hearing heard that you were ill

3a : to listen to with attention : heed would not hear my side of the story

b : attend hear mass

4a law : to give a listening to legal arguments in : to give a legal hearing to hear a case

b law : to take testimony from hear witnesses

intransitive verb

1 : to have the capacity of perceiving sound : to be able to become aware of sound He doesn't hear well.

2a : to gain information : learn tired of hearing about his problems

b : to receive communication haven't heard from her lately

3 : to entertain the idea —used in the negative wouldn't hear of it

4 —often used in the expression Hear! Hear! to express approval (as during a speech)

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Examples of hear in a Sentence

Do you hear that music? I couldn't hear a word of what he said over all that noise. I thought I heard him leave. Would you turn the volume up a little? I can't hear. I heard her in concert a few years ago. Have you ever heard Wagner sung in English? The committee will hear witnesses today. I hear he's leaving town. I don't know what happened. I'll let you know if I hear anything. I've heard it said that smoking is bad for your health.

Recent Examples on the Web Laura would open her dorm room window and hear the teams playing and students congregating on a massive green space in the middle of the campus. — Freep.com, "Support quality local journalism like this by becoming a subscriber.," 12 Feb. 2021 The Washington Examiner reached out to Obeng's office for confirmation on the details of the surgery but did not immediately hear back. — Haley Victory Smith, Washington Examiner, "Woman finally gets Gorilla Glue out of hair after four-hour surgery," 11 Feb. 2021 In response, Marsh repeated his idea about adding two more casinos to the plan, with the Gaming Commission to hear proposals about where those would be. — Mike Cason | Mcason@al.com, al, "Alabama Senate starts 1st debate on plan for lottery, casinos," 11 Feb. 2021 D’Ambra was able to beam in daily and to know that Caelan would at least hear his voice. — Eva Holland, Wired, "Premature Babies and the Lonely Terror of a Pandemic NICU," 11 Feb. 2021 After emotional arguments about the legality of the trial Tuesday, only six Republicans joined the 50 Democrats in voting that the Senate had the right to hear the case — far below the 67 votes needed to convict Trump in the 100-member chamber. — Tal Kopan, San Francisco Chronicle, "Eric Swalwell: Trump 'lit the match' and doused 'kerosene' on insurrection," 10 Feb. 2021 Senators are set to hear arguments Tuesday as the second impeachment trial of former president Donald Trump gets underway in earnest. — BostonGlobe.com, "First-ever trial of an ex-president gets underway," 9 Feb. 2021 Abandoning Kate, Tully goes off with a popular boy named Pat, who gets Tully drunk and takes her into the woods, far enough away from the rest of the group that no one can hear or notice them. — Rachel Paige, refinery29.com, "R29 Recaps: Every Episode From Firefly Lane Season 1," 8 Feb. 2021 For now, Holtan hopes those who hear the station at ChangePoint will enjoy the station and leave with a positive experience of public health. — Author: J. Besl, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage has a new radio station just for people waiting in cars for a coronavirus test," 5 Feb. 2021

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.