hear

[heer] /hɪər/
verb (used with object), heard
[hurd] /hɜrd/ (Show IPA), hearing.
1.
to perceive by the ear:
Didn't you hear the doorbell?
2.
to learn by the ear or by being told; be informed of:
to hear news.
3.
to listen to; give or pay attention to:
They refused to hear our side of the argument.
4.
to be among the audience at or of (something):
to hear a recital.
5.
to give a formal, official, or judicial hearing to (something); consider officially, as a judge, sovereign, teacher, or assembly:
to hear a case.
6.
to take or listen to the evidence or testimony of (someone):
to hear the defendant.
7.
to listen to with favor, assent, or compliance.
8.
(of a computer) to perceive by speech recognition.
verb (used without object), heard
[hurd] /hɜrd/ (Show IPA), hearing.
9.
to be capable of perceiving sound by the ear; have the faculty of perceiving sound vibrations.
10.
to receive information by the ear or otherwise:
to hear from a friend.
11.
to listen with favor, assent, or compliance (often followed by of):
I will not hear of your going.
12.
(of a computer) to be capable of perceiving by speech recognition.
13.
(used interjectionally in the phrase Hear! Hear! to express approval, as of a speech).
Origin
before 950; Middle English heren, Old English hēran, hīeran; cognate with Dutch horen, German hören, Old Norse heyra, Gothic hausjan; perhaps akin to Greek akoúein (see acoustic)
Related forms
hearable, adjective
hearer, noun
half-heard, adjective
outhear, verb (used with object), outheard, outhearing.
rehear, verb, reheard, rehearing.
unhearable, adjective
well-heard, adjective
Can be confused
hear, here (see synonym study at the current entry)
heard, herd.
Synonyms
1, 2. attend. Hear, listen apply to the perception of sound. To hear is to have such perception by means of the auditory sense: to hear distant bells. To listen is to give attention in order to hear and understand the meaning of a sound or sounds: to listen to what is being said; to listen for a well-known footstep. 4. attend. 7. regard, heed.
Antonyms
7. disregard.
Examples from the web for hear
  • The plays he wrote are mind-boggling when you hear about them-they sound so modern.
  • The sound you hear as you walk up the beach toward the dig is the clinking of hammers on chisels.
  • The voice you hear when you speak is the combination of sound carried along both paths.
  • But the frequencies have a special harmonic relationship, which is why you hear it as a single sound with a single pitch.
  • Sound-even at frequencies humans can't hear-is directed at the water.
  • In many cases you did hear that sound before, maybe long ago.
  • When you hear a pack of wolves calling, you don't pay attention to anything else.
  • We could hear the orchestra begin the overture.
  • We don't always hear echoes, of course; the situation has to be just right.
  • Without the hearing aid, she couldn't hear much at all.
British Dictionary definitions for hear

hear

/hɪə/
verb hears, hearing, heard (hɜːd)
1.
(transitive) to perceive (a sound) with the sense of hearing
2.
(transitive; may take a clause as object) to listen to: did you hear what I said?
3.
when intr, sometimes foll by of or about; when tr, may take a clause as object. to be informed (of); receive information (about): to hear of his success, have you heard?
4.
(law) to give a hearing to (a case)
5.
when intr, usually foll by of and used with a negative. to listen (to) with favour, assent, etc: she wouldn't hear of it
6.
(intransitive) foll by from. to receive a letter, news, etc (from)
7.
hear! hear!, an exclamation used to show approval of something said
8.
(dialect) hear tell, to be told (about); learn (of)
Derived Forms
hearable, adjective
hearer, noun
Word Origin
Old English hieran; related to Old Norse heyra, Gothic hausjan, Old High German hōren, Greek akouein
Word Origin and History for hear
v.

Old English heran (Anglian), (ge)hieran, hyran (West Saxon) "to hear, listen (to), obey, follow; accede to, grant; judge," from Proto-Germanic *hauzjan (cf. Old Norse heyra, Old Frisian hora, Dutch horen, German hören, Gothic hausjan), perhaps from PIE *kous- "to hear" (see acoustic). The shift from *-z- to -r- is a regular feature in some Germanic languages.

For spelling, see see head (n.); spelling distinction between hear and here developed 1200-1550. Old English also had the excellent adjective hiersum "ready to hear, obedient," literally "hear-some" with suffix from handsome, etc. Hear, hear! (1680s) was originally imperative, used as an exclamation to call attention to a speaker's words; now a general cheer of approval. Originally it was hear him!

hear in Medicine

hear (hēr)
v. heard (hûrd), hear·ing, hears
To perceive (sound) by the ear.

Idioms and Phrases with hear

hear

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