as in hearing
to listen to (another in private conversation)
it's not polite to try to overhear intimate friends sharing confidences
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Recent Examples of overhearing
The internal monologue is perhaps the more obvious choice for paranoid fiction, but by writing in dialogue, Dorfman puts us in the place of the listener with an ear pressed to a closed door, overhearing the anxious voices.
—
James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Dogs also learned new object names by overhearing them.
—Liz Regalia, Parents, 25 Jan. 2026
Hyman remembers overhearing a conversation between Stecher and then-Oilers assistant coach Paul Coffey as the trade deadline approached.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
When repeating the tests with dogs that weren't considered GWLs however, the team did not find any significant correlation between overhearing and learning, a finding of significance according to Dror.
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Toddlers can pick up new words just by overhearing conversations.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
As when just standing in the Mingus Quick Stop parking lot and squinting down the street at lifting dust while overhearing from within the most mysterious conversation about missing Little Debbie Honey Buns—not stolen, gradually pilfered, but just missing.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
While the first half of this conversation points to the former, the next part, in which Shane asks if Ilya’s father is okay after overhearing a tense phone call, suggests the latter.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
There are still moments that break me open—watching friends’ moms swoop in to babysit, or overhearing them swap stories about how their moms saved them in those blurry newborn weeks.
—Lauren Boswell, Vogue, 25 Nov. 2025
James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026
Dogs also learned new object names by overhearing them.
—Liz Regalia, Parents, 25 Jan. 2026
Hyman remembers overhearing a conversation between Stecher and then-Oilers assistant coach Paul Coffey as the trade deadline approached.
—Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
When repeating the tests with dogs that weren't considered GWLs however, the team did not find any significant correlation between overhearing and learning, a finding of significance according to Dror.
—New Atlas, 9 Jan. 2026
Toddlers can pick up new words just by overhearing conversations.
—Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
As when just standing in the Mingus Quick Stop parking lot and squinting down the street at lifting dust while overhearing from within the most mysterious conversation about missing Little Debbie Honey Buns—not stolen, gradually pilfered, but just missing.
—David Searcy, Harpers Magazine, 30 Dec. 2025
While the first half of this conversation points to the former, the next part, in which Shane asks if Ilya’s father is okay after overhearing a tense phone call, suggests the latter.
—Tom Smyth, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2025
There are still moments that break me open—watching friends’ moms swoop in to babysit, or overhearing them swap stories about how their moms saved them in those blurry newborn weeks.
—Lauren Boswell, Vogue, 25 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overhearing
Verb
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Griffey, now 56, remembers hearing all the reasons the World Baseball Classic wouldn’t work — the spring setting, the risk for pitchers and even the concept.—
C. Trent Rosecrans,
New York Times,
19 Feb. 2026
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And where no parent could sit their kids within 15 feet of the Nuggets’ bench without hearing a torrent of Moe obscenities.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The spying operation was unusually vast and allowed the hackers to hoover up sensitive information in apparent coordination with geopolitical events, such as diplomatic missions, trade negotiations, political unrest and military actions, according to the report.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
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The 2007 spying scandal cost the team a first-round pick and $250,000, while Belichick was fined $500,000.—
Ryan Morik,
FOXNews.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Jackson County alerted local schools to continue monitoring the issue, but law enforcement did not have probable cause to arrest or take other actions, according to the statement.—
Eric Levenson,
CNN Money,
16 Feb. 2026
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These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Thornton, a vice president of strategic communications who has worked downtown for 17 years, including a decade with AIMCLEAR, was no stranger to snooping on behalf of his colleagues and his employer.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
5 Dec. 2025
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But snooping signals a lack of trust.—
Dr. Cortney Warren,
CNBC,
10 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Overhearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overhearing. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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