overhear
verb
over·hear
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈhir
\
\
overheard\ ˌō-vər-ˈhərd
\;
overhearing\ ˌō-vər-ˈhir-iŋ
\
\;
overhearing\ ˌō-vər-ˈhir-iŋ
\
Definition of overhear
: to hear without the speaker's knowledge or intention
: to overhear something
Keep scrolling for more
Examples of overhear in a Sentence
She overheard what her boss said to his secretary.
I overheard a rumor about you.
They were overheard discussing the project.
See More
Recent Examples on the Web
At least one gunshot was overheard by neighbors and prompted three 911 calls. — Nicole Hensley, Houston Chronicle, "Teen apprehended in shooting death of 16-year-old boy in Richmond park," 22 Aug. 2019 At one point, a woman could be overheard saying the guys had slapped the backsides of her and a friend earlier. — Los Angeles Times, "Kim Kardashian West appeals to Trump to free rapper ASAP Rocky," 18 July 2019 Thanks to the close proximity, Kate and the kids were also overheard by the other shoppers in the store. — Kayleigh Roberts, Marie Claire, "Kate Middleton's Nickname for Princess Charlotte Is So Adorable," 24 Dec. 2018 Two teens who have been hanging around the hostage situation overhear the news and immediately blab about the update on the Smithereen app. — Ariana Romero, refinery29.com, "Black Mirror Season 5, Episode 2 Recap: "Smithereens"," 31 May 2019 Bass overheard Bauer while eavesdropping outside the players’ UC San Diego room. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Tom Bass, who coached under Coryell and Gillman, dies at 83," 29 July 2019 Then Northcutt overheard chatter specifically about her. — al.com, "The hard-charging space program: Breakthroughs, breakdowns and breakneck," 27 June 2019 While hiking in the area, Honnold overheard a group in front of him actually discussing the movie. — Pat Graham, The Know, "Rock star: After “Free Solo,” climber Alex Honnold unsure of next step," 25 June 2019 One day in 2009, when Patrick overheard his 17-year-old son telling friends that reaching North Sentinel was his calling and his mission, Patrick’s heart sank. — Alex Perry, Outside Online, "The Last Days of John Allen Chau," 24 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'overhear.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for overhear
overhear
verb
English Language Learners Definition of overhear
: to hear (something that was said to another person) by accident
See the full definition for overhear in the English Language Learners Dictionary
overhear
verb
over·hear
| \ ˌō-vər-ˈhir
\
\
overheard\ -ˈhərd \;
overhearing\ -ˈhir-iŋ \
Kids Definition of overhear
: to hear something by accident without the speaker's knowledge
Keep scrolling for more