Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This

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.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This

hear·ing       (hîr'ĭng)  Pronunciation Key  n.   The sense by which sound is perceived; the capacity to hear. Range of audibility; earshot. An opportunity to be heard. Law A preliminary examination of an accused person. The trial of an equity case. A session, as of an investigatory committee or a grand jury, at which testimony is taken from witnesses. adj.   Able to hear: a deaf child born to hearing parents.

WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This

hearing
adjective
1.	able to perceive sound [ant: deaf]
noun
1.	(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
2.	an opportunity to state your case and be heard; "they condemned him without a hearing"; "he saw that he had lost his audience"
3.	the range within which a voice can be heard; "the children were told to stay within earshot" [syn: earshot]
4.	the act of hearing attentively; "you can learn a lot by just listening"; "they make good music--you should give them a hearing" [syn: listening]
5.	a session (of a committee or grand jury) in which witnesses are called and testimony is taken; "the investigative committee will hold hearings in Chicago"
6.	the ability to hear; the auditory faculty; "his hearing was impaired"

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

hearing n.
The sense by which sound is perceived; the capacity to hear.

Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law - Cite This Source - Share This
Main Entry: hear·ing
Function: noun
1 : a proceeding of relative formality at which evidence and arguments may be presented on the matter at issue to be decided by a person or body having decision-making authority —compare TRIAL
NOTE: The purpose of a hearing is to provide the opportunity for each side of a dispute, and esp. a person who may be deprived of his or her rights, to present its position. A hearing, along with notice, is a fundamental part of procedural due process. Hearings are also held, as for example by a legislature or an administrative agency, for the purpose of gathering information and hearing the testimony of witnesses.

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administrative hearing
: a hearing conducted by an official (as an administrative law judge) or a body (as a review board) of an administrative agency regarding an agency action and esp. an action under dispute

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confirmation hearing
1 : a hearing conducted by the U.S. Senate to examine a nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court
NOTE: Article II of the U.S. Constitution provides for presidential appointment of Supreme Court justices “by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.”
2 : a hearing held in a bankruptcy case prior to the confirmation of a proposed bankruptcy plan

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discharge hearing
: a hearing in a bankruptcy case in which a debtor is informed that his or her discharge has been granted or is told the reasons why it has not been granted

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fair hearing
: a hearing that is conducted impartially and in accordance with due process and for which the defendant has reasonable opportunity to prepare, the assistance of counsel, the right to present evidence, the opportunity to cross-examine adverse witnesses, and often the right to a jury

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fat·i·co hearing
/'fa-ti-kO-/
: a hearing sometimes held prior to the sentencing of a convicted criminal at which the parties may offer evidence as to appropriate sentencing

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Franks hearing
/'fra[ng]ks-/
: a hearing to determine whether statements made by police officers in an affidavit that was used to obtain a search warrant by which evidence incriminating the defendant was found are false and constitute perjury or reckless disregard for the truth

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Hunt·ley hearing
/'h&nt-lE-/
: a Jackson-Denno hearing in the form of procedure used in New York

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Jack·son–Den·no hearing
/'jak-s&n-'de-nO-/
: a hearing to determine if a confession or statements made by a defendant were given involuntarily and so should be suppressed as evidence

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Mapp hearing
/'map-/
: a hearing to determine whether evidence should be suppressed on the ground that it was obtained as the result of an illegal search and seizure

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preliminary hearing
: a hearing held after a criminal defendant's first appearance in court esp. for the purpose of determining whether there is probable cause to believe that the defendant committed the felony with which he or she is charged called also preliminary examination probable cause hearing

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pre·ter·mi·na·tion hearing
/prE-"t&r-m&-'nA-sh&n-/
: a hearing held prior to the termination of a property interest (as employment or a benefit)

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probable cause hearing
: PRELIMINARY HEARING in this entry

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reaffirmation hearing
: a hearing in a bankruptcy case at which a debtor may reaffirm dischargeable debts
NOTE: The reaffirmation hearing and discharge hearing are usually held simultaneously.

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suppression hearing
: a hearing held in a criminal case to determine the admissibility of evidence that the defendant seeks to suppress —see also motion to suppress at MOTION

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taint hearing
: a hearing held in a criminal case to determine if the prosecution's evidence is inadmissible because of some taint (as because it was obtained through procedures that violated the defendant's constitutional rights)

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valuation hearing
: a hearing held in a bankruptcy case to determine the value of the debtor's property in which a creditor claims a lien or security interest

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Wade hearing
/'wAd-/
: a hearing in a criminal case to determine whether a witness's identification of the defendant (as in court or in a lineup) is tainted (as because of unfairly suggestive procedures) and therefore inadmissible as evidence
2 : a trial in equity practice

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

Hearing

Hear"ing\, n. 1. The act or power of perceiving sound; perception of sound; the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived; as, my hearing is good.

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear. --Job xlii. 5.

Note: Hearing in a special sensation, produced by stim??ation of the auditory nerve; the stimulus (waves of sound) acting not directly on the nerve, but through the medium of the endolymph on the delicate epithelium cells, constituting the peripheral terminations of the nerve. See Ear.

2. Attention to what is delivered; opportunity to be heard; audience; as, I could not obtain a hearing.

3. A listening to facts and evidence, for the sake of adjudication; a session of a court for considering proofs and determining issues.

His last offenses to us Shall have judicious hearing. --Shak.

Another hearing before some other court. --Dryden.

Note: Hearing, as applied to equity cases, means the same thing that the word trial does at law. --Abbot.

4. Extent within which sound may be heard; sound; earshot. "She's not within hearing." --Shak.

They laid him by the pleasant shore, And in the hearing of the wave. --Tennyson.