hear
hear
Pronunciation
/hɪər/
Word Form Variations
Base form/Infinitive: hear
Third-person singular present: hears
Present participle: hearing
Past tense: heard
Past participle: heard
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
Definition: To perceive sound with the ear.
Synonyms: listen, apprehend, perceive, discern, catch, detect
Antonyms: ignore, disregard, tune out, miss
Definition: To be told or informed of something; to receive news or information.
Synonyms: learn, discover, ascertain, find out, be apprised of, be informed
Antonyms: conceal, withhold, keep secret, miss
Definition: To listen to someone or something attentively, often for a specific purpose or in an official capacity.
Definition: The judge will hear the case tomorrow.
Synonyms: attend to, consider, examine, try (in court), interview, give audience to
Antonyms: dismiss, reject, ignore, overlook
Examples of Use
Books:
"He could hear the distant rumble of thunder, a prelude to the storm that was surely coming." (From a work of fiction)
"To truly understand the nuances of the language, one must not only read the words but also hear them spoken." (From a non-fiction book on linguistics)
Newspapers:
"Residents gathered at the town hall to hear the mayor's plans for urban development." (Local Newspaper)
"The jury will hear closing arguments in the high-profile fraud case today." (National Daily)
Online Publications:
"Did you hear about the latest breakthroughs in AI technology?" (TechCrunch.com)
"We want to hear from our readers: What are your thoughts on the new privacy policy?" (TheGuardian.com)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Music (Lyrics): "I hear music in the air, everywhere." (From a popular song)
Film/Television (Dialogue): "Did you hear that strange noise downstairs?" (Line from a suspense film)
Podcasts: "In this episode, we'll hear from experts on climate change and its impact." (Science Podcast)
Video Games: "You can hear the enemy approaching from the left." (In-game tutorial or hint)
Social Media: "Just saw the most incredible concert! You should've been there to hear it." (Twitter post)
General Public Discourse:
"I can barely hear you over all this background noise." (Casual conversation)
"Let me hear your side of the story before I make a judgment." (Discussion between friends)
"Did you hear the news about the new policy?" (Everyday conversation)
"It's important to hear diverse perspectives on complex issues." (Public debate or forum)
10 Famous Quotes Using Hear
"Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." (Theodore Roosevelt, attributed)
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.' I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of interposition and nullification – one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. I have a dream today! I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith that I go back to the South with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day. This will be the day, this will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with new meaning: My country 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring! And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. But not only that: Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia. Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!" (Martin Luther King Jr., "I Have a Dream" speech)
"I cannot hear what you say for what you are." (Ralph Waldo Emerson, "Social Aims")
"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" (Often attributed to George Berkeley, though the exact phrasing is debated)
"People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel." (Often attributed to Maya Angelou, though the exact phrasing is debated)
"We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak." (Epictetus, attributed)
"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
"The first duty of love is to listen." (Paul Tillich)
"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view… until you climb into his skin and walk around in it." (Atticus Finch in Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird)
"The greatest danger in times of turbulence is not the turbulence; it is to act with yesterday's logic." (Peter Drucker)
Etymology
The word "hear" has a very old and interesting history, tracing its roots back thousands of years!
Imagine our very distant ancestors trying to describe how they experienced sounds. The word "hear" comes from an ancient root that meant something like "to be sharp-eared" or "to perceive with the ear." This tells us that from the beginning, the core meaning was about using your ears to notice sounds.
Specifically, the journey of "hear" goes like this:
Proto-Indo-European: This is a hypothetical language that's considered the ancestor of many languages spoken today, including English. In this ancient language, the root for "hear" was something like *h₂ḱh₂owsyéti, which literally combined elements meaning "sharp" and "ear."
Proto-Germanic: As languages evolved, this root changed into a Proto-Germanic word, *hauzijaną. This is the common ancestor for words meaning "to hear" in various Germanic languages, like German's "hören" and Dutch's "horen."
Old English: From Proto-Germanic, we get to Old English (the earliest form of English spoken before 1066). The word was hīeran (or heran, hyran). Its meaning was pretty much the same as today: "to perceive by the ear," "to listen," and even "to obey" or "to grant" (because if you hear someone's request, you might grant it).
Middle English: In Middle English (from about 1066 to the late 1400s), the word became heren, closer to our modern spelling.
So, the first known use and meaning of "hear" (or its direct ancestors) dates back to the Old English period (before 1150 AD), and it has consistently meant "to perceive sound with the ear" since then. It's fascinating how a word has kept its essential meaning for so many centuries! You can even see how the word "ear" itself is related, sharing that ancient "ear" root.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Hear
Here's a list of phrases and idioms using "hear":
Hear, hear! (An exclamation used to express agreement or approval)
Can't hear yourself think (Said when there's too much noise)
Hear a pin drop (To describe extreme quiet)
Hear something through the grapevine (To hear a rumor or unofficial information)
Hear someone out (To listen to someone completely, without interrupting)
Hear tell (To hear a rumor or report, often informal)
Haven't heard hide nor hair of [someone] (To have not seen or heard anything from someone)
Hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil (Often associated with the three wise monkeys, representing a refusal to acknowledge wrongdoing)
You could hear a needle drop (Similar to "hear a pin drop," emphasizing silence)
Hear the call of the wild (To feel a strong urge to return to nature or a simpler life)
To hear a different drummer (To have different ideas or opinions; to be unconventional)
Hear me on this (Used to emphasize an important point the speaker wants the listener to understand)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of hear from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
