Meaning of “hear” in the English Dictionary

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"hear" in English

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hearverb

uk ​ /hɪər/ us ​ /hɪr/ heard, heard

hear verb (RECEIVE SOUND)

A1 [ I or T ] to receive or become conscious of a sound using your ears:

She heard a noise outside.
My grandfather is getting old and can't hear very well.
You'll have to speak up, I can't hear you.
[ + obj + -ing verb ] I heard/I could hear someone calling my name.
[ + obj + infinitive without to ] At eight o'clock Jane heard him go out.

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hear verb (BE TOLD)

B1 [ I or T ] to be told information about something:

Have you heard the news?
If you haven't heard by Friday, assume I'm not coming.
[ + question word ] Have you heard what's happened?
[ + (that) ] I hear (that) you're leaving.

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hear verb (LISTEN)

A2 [ T ] to listen to someone or something with great attention or officially in court:

I heard a really interesting programme on the radio this morning.
[ + infinitive without to ] I heard the orchestra play at Carnegie Hall last summer.
An audience gathered to hear him speak.
formal Lord, hear our prayers.
The case will be heard (= officially listened to) by the High Court.

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Grammar

Hear, see, etc. + object + infinitive or -ingWe can use either the infinitive without to or the -ing form after the object of verbs such as hear, see, notice, watch. The infinitive without to often emphasises the whole action or event which someone hears or sees. The -ing form usually emphasises an action or event which is in progress or not yet completed. …
Hear that, see thatWe use hear that and see that to introduce new pieces of information. When we do this, the verbs hear and see mean ‘understand’ or ‘notice’. We normally use hear when we are thinking of something someone told us, and see when we are thinking about something we read about or saw. We often use the verbs in the present simple and sometimes leave out that: …
Hear or listen (to)?‘Hearing’ is an event; it is something which happens to us as a natural process. ‘Listening’ is an action; it is something we do consciously. …

Idiom(s)

can't hear yourself think
do you hear?
hear tell (of)
hear wedding bells
hear, hear!
I must be hearing things
not hear the end/last of sth
will never hear the end of it
won't hear a word (said) against sb/sth
you could have heard a pin drop

Phrasal verb(s)

hear from sb
have heard of sb/sth
not hear of sth
hear sth of sb
hear sb out

(Definition of “hear” from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

"hear" in American English

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hearverb

us ​ /hɪr/ past tense and past participle heard /hɜrd/

hear verb (RECEIVE SOUND)

› [ I/T ] to receive or become aware of sounds with your ears:

[ T ] I can’t hear you with the TV on.
[ I ] After a long trip on a plane, I don’t hear very well for a few hours.

hear verb (LISTEN)

› [ T ] to listen to what someone is saying or sounds being made:

I heard him interviewed on the radio this morning.
Have you heard the group’s latest recording?

hear verb (BE TOLD)

› [ I/T ] to be told or informed about:

[ T ] Have you heard the news?
[ I ] I hadn’t heard about that.
[ + (that) clause ] I hear (that) your house is up for sale.
[ T ] I’ve heard a lot about you from my sister and am glad to meet you.

Idiom(s)

never hear the end of it

Phrasal verb(s)

hear someone out
hear from someone

(Definition of “hear” from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

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