What does "hear" mean?

1. (to perceive sound) to notice sounds with your ears. 2. (to receive news) to get information or news about something or someone. 3. (to be contacted by) to receive a letter, phone call, or message from someone. 4. (legal trial) to listen to a case in a court of law to make a decision. 5. (to understand or agree) to understand someone's feelings or agree with what they are saying. 6. (checking for attention) a way to ask if someone is listening or if they understand you.

How do you use "hear"?

Usually stative; avoid using in the '-ing' form for physical perception. Often followed by 'that' or 'of/about'. Almost always used with the preposition 'from'. Usually placed at the end of a sentence as a rhetorical question.

hear — meaning, definition & examples

Q: Is it correct to say "I am hearing a strange noise in the kitchen."?

No — say "I hear a strange noise in the kitchen.". As a verb of perception, 'hear' is usually stative. Use the present simple even if the sound is happening right now.

Word

Infinitive

hear

Past

heard

Past participle

heard

01to perceive sound

A1 · Beginner

v. to notice sounds with your ears.

v. to perceive sound through the auditory nerves. This sense is typically stative and rarely used in the continuous form.

“I could hear the birds singing outside my window early this morning.”

“Even through the thick stone walls of the old library, we could hear the distant rumble of the city traffic during the rush hour.”

Usage

Usually stative; avoid using in the '-ing' form for physical perception.

Pitfall

I am hearing a strange noise in the kitchen.

I hear a strange noise in the kitchen.

As a verb of perception, 'hear' is usually stative. Use the present simple even if the sound is happening right now.

Synonyms

perceive detect

02to receive news

A2 · Elementary

v. to get information or news about something or someone.

v. to receive information or be told about a specific event or situation.

“I was sorry to hear that you have been feeling unwell lately.”

“The board was surprised to hear of the CEO's sudden resignation, as there had been no prior indication of internal conflict.”

Usage

Often followed by 'that' or 'of/about'.

Synonyms

learn discover find out

03to be contacted by

B1 · Intermediate

v. to receive a letter, phone call, or message from someone.

v. to receive a communication from a specific person or organisation.

“I haven't heard from my brother in over three weeks.”

“The recruitment agency promised that the candidate would hear from the hiring manager regarding the second interview by the end of the week.”

Usage

Almost always used with the preposition 'from'.

Synonyms

contacted notified

Antonyms

ignore

04legal trial

B2 · Upper Intermediate Law Formal

v. to listen to a case in a court of law to make a decision.

v. to listen to a person or a legal case in a formal judicial setting to determine a verdict.

“The Supreme Court will hear the case early next year.”

“The judge agreed to hear the witness's testimony in private to protect the identity of the informant during the high-profile trial.”

Synonyms

try judge examine

05to understand or agree

B2 · Upper Intermediate Informal

v. to understand someone's feelings or agree with what they are saying.

v. to acknowledge, sympathise with, or grant a request based on an understanding of the speaker's position.

“I hear what you're saying, but I still think we should wait.”

“The manager told the staff that she heard their concerns about the new schedule and would look into making adjustments.”

Teaching tip

In modern informal English, 'I hear you' is a common way to show empathy or agreement without necessarily promising to change anything.

Synonyms

understand grant acknowledge

Antonyms

dismiss ignore

06checking for attention

B1 · Intermediate Informal · Dialect

interj. a way to ask if someone is listening or if they understand you.

interj. used as a tag question to ensure the interlocutor is paying attention or has understood a command.

“You need to be home by ten o'clock, you hear me?”

“Don't you ever go near that old warehouse again, you hear?”

Usage

Usually placed at the end of a sentence as a rhetorical question.

Synonyms

understand listen

hear vs listen

Hear is the physical sense of sound hitting the ear; listen is the mental act of paying attention to that sound.

RememberHear is passive; Listen is an action.

hear vs listen to

Listen to is a deliberate action requiring a preposition; hear is the passive perception of sound.

RememberListen is a choice; hear is a sense.

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Proto-Indo-European *-yéti Proto-Indo-European *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti Proto-Germanic *hauzijaną Proto-West Germanic *hauʀijan Old English hīeran Middle English heren English hear From Middle English heren, from Old English hīeran (“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). Cognates Cognate with Saterland Frisian heere (“to hear”), West Frisian hearre (“to hear”), Dutch horen (“to hear”), German hören (“to hear”), Danish and Norwegian Bokmål høre (“to hear”), Norwegian Nynorsk høyra (“to hear”), Swedish höra (“to hear”), Icelandic heyra (“to hear”), Ancient Greek ἀκούω (akoúō, “I hear”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

hear(A1)

overhear(B2)

NOUN

hearing(B2)

hearsay(C1)

audible deaf ear hark hear from hear of listen