What does "hear" mean?
To perceive sounds through the ear.
Hear
/hɪə/ intj, verb, slang
intj, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: To perceive sounds through the ear.
- Grammar: hear is listed as intj, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: learn, listen, absolutely, acclaim.
- Useful contrasts: deafening, deaves, lipreading.
- Usage evidence: Most people only want to hear their own truth.
How to use "hear"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hear" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hear" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hear" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hear" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hear" is acting as intj, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "learn" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hear", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Verb
- 1 To perceive sounds through the ear. intransitive, stative
"I was deaf, but now I can hear."
- 2 get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally wordnet
- 3 To perceive (a sound, or something producing a sound) with the ear, to recognize (something) in an auditory way. stative, transitive
"I could hear them quarreling upstairs, but didn’t really listen to their argument."
- 4 receive a communication from someone wordnet
- 5 To exercise this faculty intentionally; to listen to. transitive
"Agayne there was dissencion amonge the iewes for these sayinges, and many of them sayd: He hath the devyll, and is madde: why heare ye hym?"
Show 9 more definitions
- 6 perceive (sound) via the auditory sense wordnet
- 7 To listen favourably to; to grant (a request etc.). transitive
"Eventually the king chose to hear her entreaties."
- 8 listen and pay attention wordnet
- 9 To receive information about; to come to learn of. transitive
"Adam, soon as he heard / The fatal Trespass don by Eve, amaz'd, / Astonied stood and Blank […]"
- 10 examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process wordnet
- 11 To be contacted by.
"I haven't heard from you in a while; how have you been?"
- 12 To listen to (a person, case) in a court of law; to try. transitive
"Your case will be heard at the end of the month."
- 13 To sympathize with; to understand the feelings or opinion of. informal, transitive
"You're tired of all the ads on TV? I hear ya."
- 14 To study under. Greek, transitive
"SPHÆRUS was of Bosphorus, he first heard Zeno, then Cleanthes, and having made a sufficient progresse in learning, went to Alexandria to Ptolomy Philopater […]"
Intj
- 1 you hear me
"Y'all come back now, hear?"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Most people only want to hear their own truth."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hear"?
Common synonyms include: learn, listen, absolutely, acclaim, adjudicate, all right.
How do you use "hear" in a sentence?
Most people only want to hear their own truth.
How do you pronounce "hear"?
Pronounced /hɪə/.
Etymology
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”).