hear

The word “hear” means to perceive sound through the ears. In plain terms, to take in sound with your ears, or to learn news, or (for a court) to consider a case.

“Hear” is pronounced HEER (/ˈhɪɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “hear” used in a sentence: “Can you hear the birds singing outside?”

The opposite of “hear” — its antonyms — are mishear, cock a deaf 'un and turn a deaf ear.

“Hear” is a verb.

The word “hear” comes from Old English. From Old English hīeran, an ancient Germanic word ultimately built from roots meaning "sharp" and "ear" — literally "to be sharp-eared.".

“Hear” is a very common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A1 level.

“Hear” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to perceive sound through the ears.

They sound alike but differ completely. "Hear" is a verb — to perceive sound through the ears, as in "I can hear music." "Here" refers to a place or position, meaning "in this spot," as in "come here." A useful memory aid: the word "hear" contains the word "ear."

Hearing is passive — sound simply reaches your ears whether you attend to it or not. Listening is active, involving focus and effort to understand what you hear. You can hear traffic without listening to it. That distinction is exactly why we say someone "hears but doesn't listen."

Yes. Audiologists measure hearing with tests such as audiometry, which check the quietest sounds a person can detect across different pitches. Results are plotted on an audiogram and expressed in decibels. These measurements reveal the degree and pattern of any hearing loss and guide treatment or hearing-aid fitting.

You might say, "I can hear the rain on the roof," or "Did you hear what she said?" The verb also appears figuratively, as in "I hear you've moved house," meaning you received the news. In each case, hear centres on receiving sound or information.