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American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hear       (hîr)  Pronunciation Key  v.   heard (hûrd), hear·ing, hears v.   tr. To perceive (sound) by the ear: Can you hear the signal? To learn by hearing; be told by others: I heard she got married. To listen to attentively: Hear what I have to tell you. To listen to in an official, professional, or formal capacity: heard the last witness in the afternoon. To listen to and consider favorably: Lord, hear my prayer! To attend or participate in: hear Mass. v.   intr. To be capable of perceiving sound. To receive news or information; learn: I heard about your accident. To consider, permit, or consent to something. Used only in the negative: I won't hear of your going! Phrasal Verb(s): hear from To get a letter, telephone call, or transmitted communication from. To be reprimanded by: If you don't do your homework, you're going to hear from me. Idiom(s): hear, hear Used to express approval. [Middle English hearen, Old English hīeran; see kous- in Indo-European roots.] hear'er n.

Online Etymology Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
hear 

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

hear
verb
1.	perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
2.	get to know or become aware of, usually accidentally; "I learned that she has two grown-up children"; "I see that you have been promoted" [syn: learn]
3.	examine or hear (evidence or a case) by judicial process; "The jury had heard all the evidence"; "The case will be tried in California"
4.	receive a communication from someone; "We heard nothing from our son for five years"
5.	listen and pay attention; "Listen to your father"; "We must hear the expert before we make a decision" [syn: listen]

American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms - Cite This Source - Share This

hear

In addition to the idioms beginning with hear, also see another county heard from; hard of hearing; never hear the end of; not have it (hear of it); unheard of.

American Heritage Stedman's Medical Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hear (hēr)
v. heard (hûrd), hear·ing, hears
To perceive (sound) by the ear.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: hear
Function: transitive verb
Inflected Forms: heard; hear·ing
1 a : to give a hearing to heard the claims> hear argument on the objection> b : to conduct a hearing about hear a matter properly before him>
2 a : to take testimony from hear 30 witnesses> b : to take (as testimony) at a hearing heard statements from the victim's family>

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Hear

Hear\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Heard; p. pr. & vb. n. Hearing.] [OE. heren, AS,. hi['e]ran, h?ran, h?ran; akin to OS. h?rian, OFries. hera, hora, D. hooren, OHG. h?ren, G. h["o]ren, Icel. heyra, Sw: h["o]ra, Dan. hore, Goth. hausjan, and perh. to Gr. ?, E. acoustic. Cf. Hark, Hearken.]

1. To perceive by the ear; to apprehend or take cognizance of by the ear; as, to hear sounds; to hear a voice; to hear one call.

Lay thine ear close to the ground, and list if thou canst hear the tread of travelers. --Shak.

He had been heard to utter an ominous growl. --Macaulay.

2. To give audience or attention to; to listen to; to heed; to accept the doctrines or advice of; to obey; to examine; to try in a judicial court; as, to hear a recitation; to hear a class; the case will be heard to-morrow.

3. To attend, or be present at, as hearer or worshiper; as, to hear a concert; to hear Mass.

4. To give attention to as a teacher or judge.

Thy matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. --2 Sam. xv. 3.

I beseech your honor to hear me one single word. --Shak.

5. To accede to the demand or wishes of; to listen to and answer favorably; to favor.

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice. --Ps. cxvi. 1.

They think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. --Matt. vi. 7.

Hear him. See Remark, under Hear, v. i.

To hear a bird sing, to receive private communication. [Colloq.] --Shak.

To hear say, to hear one say; to learn by common report; to receive by rumor. [Colloq.]

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

Hear

Hear\, v. i. 1. To have the sense or faculty of perceiving sound. "The Hearing ear." --Prov. xx. 12.

2. To use the power of perceiving sound; to perceive or apprehend by the ear; to attend; to listen.

So spake our mother Eve, and Adam heard, Well pleased, but answered not. --Milton.

3. To be informed by oral communication; to be told; to receive information by report or by letter.

I have heard, sir, of such a man. --Shak.

I must hear from thee every day in the hour. --Shak.

To hear ill, to be blamed. [Obs.]

Not only within his own camp, but also now at Rome, he heard ill for his temporizing and slow proceedings. --Holland.

To hear well, to be praised. [Obs.]

Note: Hear, or Hear him, is often used in the imperative, especially in the course of a speech in English assemblies, to call attention to the words of the speaker.

Hear him, . . . a cry indicative, according to the tone, of admiration, acquiescence, indignation, or derision. --Macaulay.