as in heard
to listen to (another in private conversation)
it's not polite to try to overhear intimate friends sharing confidences
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of overheard
Too many of our best and brightest have been overheard crying in bathroom stalls or have abruptly gone off-camera in the middle of a meeting, clearly overwhelmed.
—
Catherine Mevs, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Malinin himself alluded to the extra weight of the Winter Games when he was overheard after his free skate saying his performance would have been different had he been selected for the Beijing team in 2022.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
Karen Powers overheard the adjuster accusing her husband and brother of having failed to perform work with the money that State Farm had issued on the earlier claim.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 10 Feb. 2026
According to Salazar, the plot was discovered when a detention deputy with the Bexar County Jail intelligence group overheard coded language during monitored inmate phone calls, which investigators believe referenced a plan to harm a witness outside the jail.
—Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Feb. 2026
They’re told to me by someone else or overheard at a party or read about in the newspaper or on the Nextdoor app.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
The remark was overheard by fourth official Harrison Blair and later reported by both Blair and Reading’s head safety steward David Parker.
—Ali Rampling, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Unbeknownst to Whitaker, Robby had popped his head into the room and overheard everything.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
He was also overheard threatening to kill the store’s manager, police said.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 16 Jan. 2026
Catherine Mevs, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Malinin himself alluded to the extra weight of the Winter Games when he was overheard after his free skate saying his performance would have been different had he been selected for the Beijing team in 2022.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 17 Feb. 2026
Karen Powers overheard the adjuster accusing her husband and brother of having failed to perform work with the money that State Farm had issued on the earlier claim.
—J.c. Hallman, Oklahoman, 10 Feb. 2026
According to Salazar, the plot was discovered when a detention deputy with the Bexar County Jail intelligence group overheard coded language during monitored inmate phone calls, which investigators believe referenced a plan to harm a witness outside the jail.
—Raul Trey Lopez, San Antonio Express-News, 9 Feb. 2026
They’re told to me by someone else or overheard at a party or read about in the newspaper or on the Nextdoor app.
—Peter Larsen, Daily News, 5 Feb. 2026
The remark was overheard by fourth official Harrison Blair and later reported by both Blair and Reading’s head safety steward David Parker.
—Ali Rampling, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2026
Unbeknownst to Whitaker, Robby had popped his head into the room and overheard everything.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 29 Jan. 2026
He was also overheard threatening to kill the store’s manager, police said.
—Mark Price, Charlotte Observer, 16 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overheard
Verb
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The deep booms, which on clear nights can be heard across the forest, attract female kakapo to the bowls.—
Charlotte Graham-McLay,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Feb. 2026
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In other footage, filmed farther down the driveway, automatic gunfire can be heard, while a third video taken at the same time shows thick black smoke emanating from the site.—
Gonzalo Zegarra,
CNN Money,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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But there’s no snow on the 101 Freeway near Thousand Oaks — which might come as a surprise to those who spied an errant travel alert from the California Department of Transportation.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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The moon's immense shadow was also spied by South Korea's GEO-KOMPSAT-2A weather satellite from its perch 22,370 miles (36,000 km) above Earth in geostationary orbit, close to the shadowy line of the night-day terminator.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The rally included groups such as Action Française, with which Deranque was linked, and was monitored by a heavy police presence.—
Tim Lister,
CNN Money,
21 Feb. 2026
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If a mother is having a high-risk pregnancy and that baby is being monitored for a heart condition, both doctors could see them together at the Lakeway location.—
Nicole Villalpando,
Austin American Statesman,
21 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Overheard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overheard. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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