Link Centre Dictionary

hear

UK/ˈhɪə/ US/ˈhɪɚ/ very common informal

verb

1.
2.

get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally

  • “I learned that she has two grown-up children”
  • “I see that you have been promoted”
Synonyms
3.

examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process

  • “The jury had heard all the evidence”
  • “The case will be tried in California”
Synonyms
4.

receive a communication from someone

  • “We heard nothing from our son for five years”
5.

listen and pay attention

  • “Listen to your father”
  • “We must hear the expert before we make a decision”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English har, heoren, her, here, heren, from Old English hēran, hīeran, hīran, hȳran (“to hear”), from Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan, from Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną (“to hear”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti (“to be sharp-eared”), from *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”) + *h₂ows- (“ear”) + *-yéti (denominative suffix).

Phrases

  • another county heard from
  • children should be seen and not heard
  • could hear a pin drop
  • hard of hearing
  • hear both sides
  • hear from
  • hear hear
  • hearing aid

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

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Related verbs

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.