overheard

verb

past tense of overhear
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

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.
Recent Examples of overheard Raves for Montana Levi Blanco’s lush costumes in the courtly, Elizabethan style could be overheard around the table, and rightfully so; their opulence and sick glamour struck the perfect note for the depravity of the piece’s villainous couple. — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026 Police said the school went into lockdown after officers saw students running down hallways and received reports that someone overheard a comment about a gun. — Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 The actors speak quietly, as if fearful of being overheard, whether or not there is anyone around to hear, and often regard one another with pained or stunned expressions. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 Amabile’s wife, Serena Pitt, can be overheard asking him as another staple is clipped out and placed into a plastic container. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Aug. 2026 While checking into his hotel in Paris three years ago, Lucas overheard a pair of rugby fans from South Africa talking about their monthlong stay in France for the tournament. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026 Jackson said California's law about confidential communication doesn't apply when there is a reasonable expectation that a conversation could be overheard or recorded. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026 One of the first people to join his congregation was Gayana Albayan, who had learned about God through inference and overheard prayer. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026 Burial is far and away the blueprint here, evident in the vespertine pads, tape hiss, and hauntological vocal flips, deployed as if overheard from a distant astral plane. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overheard
  1. heard
  2. spied
  3. monitored
Verb
  • But moments before the nosedive, passengers seated near the front of the plane heard sounds of a fight inside the cockpit, said passenger Daniel Schlichter, who was seated in the second row.
    — SAM MEDNICK, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Eventually the curtain was closed again and the microphone in the room was turned off, but Pike could still be heard making gasping or snoring sounds.
    — Rebecca Boone, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of heard
Verb
  • The tourists, having sent home seven players and their coaching staff mid-series, made four changes but really only spied solace in the performance of Razaullah Khan, one of three debutants.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
  • To the north of the fire, between a forest and a small dirt road, Olstead spied a green field—the jump spot.
    — M. R. O’Connor, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Definition of spied
Verb
  • The premises are also monitored by Perry’s own elite, 24-hour security team.
    — Wendy Bowman, Robb Report, 2 Oct. 2026
  • That means any reduction in financial transparency has direct implications on how the investments of the funds are monitored.
    — Tzachi Zach, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of monitored

Browse Nearby Words

overhear
overheard
overhearing
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Cite this Entry

“Overheard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overheard. Accessed 8 Oct. 2026.

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