hear
[verb]
Synonyms:
- listen to, catch, overhear
- learn, ascertain, discover, find out, gather, get wind of (informal), pick up
- try, examine, investigate, judge

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Related Idioms: get wind of

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English Thesaurus: hear, listen, make out, overhear, catch, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

hear S1 W1 /hɪə $ hɪr/ verb (past tense and past participle heard /hɜːd $ hɜːrd/)
[Word Family: adjective: unheard, unheard, of; verb: hear, overhear; noun: hearing, hearer]
[Language: Old English; Origin: hieran]

1. HEAR SOUNDS/WORDS ETC [intransitive, transitive not in progressive] to know that a sound is being made, using your ears:
Blanche heard a crash as the back door was flung open.
Did anyone see or hear anything last night?
Old Zeke doesn’t hear too well any more.
hear somebody/something doing something
Jenny could hear them arguing outside.
hear somebody do something
She heard Tom go upstairs.
hear what/who etc
I couldn’t hear what they were saying most of the time.
be heard to do something
She didn’t want to be heard to criticize him.
► Do not confuse hear with listen to, which means ‘hear and pay attention to’: You should listen to my advice (NOT You should hear my advice).

2. LISTEN TO SOMEBODY/SOMETHING [transitive not in progressive] to listen to what someone is saying, the music they are playing etc:
Maggie did not wait to hear an answer.
Did you hear that programme on whales the other night?
hear what
I want to hear what the doctor has to say.
I hear what you say/what you’re saying spoken (=used to tell someone that you have listened to their opinion, but do not agree with it)
I hear what you say, but I don’t think we should rush this decision.

3. BE TOLD SOMETHING [intransitive, transitive not usually in progressive] to be told or find out a piece of information:
I heard a rumor that he was getting married soon.
hear (that)
I’m so sorry to hear he died.
She’ll be pleased to hear that she can leave hospital tomorrow.
hear about
Teresa heard about the decision later.
hear of
I’ve heard of a job which would be just right for you.
This was the first I’d heard of any trouble in the area (=I had just heard news of trouble for the first time).
He was last heard of in Washington (=he was in Washington the last time someone had information about him).
hear anything/much of somebody/something
We don’t hear anything of him these days.
so I hear/so I’ve heard spoken (=used to say that you have been told something or know it already)
There’s a nasty infection going round, so I hear.
hear what/how/who etc
Did you hear what happened to Julia?
I’ve heard it said that they met in Italy.

4. IN COURT [transitive] to listen to all the facts in a case in a court of law in order to make a legal decision:
The Supreme Court heard the case on Tuesday.

5. have heard of somebody/something to know that someone or something exists because they have been mentioned to you before:
‘Do you know Jill Marshall?’ ‘No, I’ve never heard of her.’

6. not hear the last of somebody used to say that someone will continue to complain about something or cause problems:
I’ll sue him. He hasn’t heard the last of me yet.

7. you could hear a pin drop used to emphasize how quiet a place is:
You could have heard a pin drop in there. ⇒ unheard of


SPOKEN PHRASES

8. won’t/wouldn’t hear of it used to say that you refuse to agree with a suggestion or proposal:
I said we should go back, but Dennis wouldn’t hear of it.

9. I/he etc will never hear the end of it used to say that someone will continue to talk about something for a long time:
If my Mum finds out, I’ll never hear the end of it.

10. be hearing things to imagine you can hear a sound when really there is no sound:
There’s no one there. I must be hearing things.

11. (do) you hear? used to emphasize that you are giving someone an order and they must obey you:
I want you to leave right now. Do you hear?

12. you can’t hear yourself think used to emphasize how noisy a place is:
Just shut up, Tom. I can’t hear myself think.

13. now hear this! American English old use used to introduce an important official announcement

14. hear! hear! used in a discussion or meeting to say that you agree with what the speaker is saying

15. have you heard the one about ... used when asking someone if they know a joke

16. I’ve heard that one before used when you do not believe someone’s excuse or explanation

17. let's hear it for somebody used to say that someone deserves praise, or to ask people to show their approval of someone by clapping

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

hear
verb
I. be aware of sounds
ADV. clearly, well He's getting old and he can't hear very well.
just I could just hear the music in the distance.
distantly Distantly he heard the report of another gun.
aright, correctly ‘Sheep?’ It sounded so unlikely that Julia did not think she could have heard aright.
VERB + HEAR can/could Can you hear me clearly at the back?
pretend not to | strain to

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

hear
II. be told about sth
VERB + HEAR be delighted to, be glad to, be gratified to, be pleased to I was delighted to hear about your promotion.
be sorry to I was sorry to hear of your father's death.
be interested to, be surprised to I was surprised to hear that she was married.
want to I told Michael what he wanted to hear.
let sb Let's hear you sing, then. You'd better not let Dad hear you say that.
PREP. about I've heard about this sort of thing before.
of On hearing of his plight, the council offered him a home.
PHRASES hear little, a lot, nothing, etc. about sth We hear very little about these issues nowadays.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

hear
verb
1.
BAD: They all sat down and heard my story.
GOOD: They all sat down and listened to my story.
BAD: I like hearing tapes and watching English films.
GOOD: I like listening to tapes and watching English films.

Usage Note:
listen (to) = hear and pay attention (to): 'He listened carefully to every word I said.' Compare: 'I could hear two people talking but I didn't listen to what they were saying.'

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2.
See LOOK FORWARD TO 2

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

hear to know that a sound is being made, using your ears:
There’s no need to shout – I can hear you!
Voices could be heard in the distance.
listen to pay attention to something, using your ears:
I was listening to the news on the car radio.
He never listens to anything I say.
make out to hear something with difficulty:
When I got closer, I could make out a human voice.
I could just make out what he was saying.
overhear to accidentally hear another person’s conversation:
I overheard her say to her friend that she had lost something.
catch to hear something that someone says:
Sorry, I didn’t catch your name.
I caught the last few minutes of the programme.
tune in to listen to a programme – often used in announcements on the radio:
Tune in for all the latest news and views from around the world.
Thousands of people tune in to the show every week.
audible adjective loud enough to be heard:
Her words were clearly audible.
an audible whisper

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

hear
hɪə
See: will not hear of

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲