INDEX:
1. to hear something or someone
2. the ability to hear
3. when you can hear something or someone
4. when you cannot hear someone or something
5. make something impossible to hear
6. someone who cannot hear
RELATED WORDS
to listen to what someone is saying, to music etc : ↑ LISTEN
see also
↑ SOUND
↑ LOUD
↑ QUIET
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1. to hear something or someone
▷ hear /hɪəʳ/ [intransitive/transitive verb not in progressive]
▪ Did you hear that noise?
▪ Suddenly we heard a knock at the door.
▪ Say that again -- I didn’t hear you.
▪ She called after him but he kept on walking and pretended not to hear.
hear somebody/something doing something
▪ Neighbours heard the child screaming and called the police.
▪ I could have sworn I heard the phone ringing.
hear somebody/something do something
▪ I heard the front door close, and knew that Bob had left for work.
▪ Did you hear them announce the result?
▷ overhear /ˌəʊvəʳˈhɪəʳ/ [transitive verb not in progressive]
to accidentally hear what someone is saying, when they do not realize that you can hear them :
▪ Claire, who was outside the door, overheard their conversation.
overhear somebody saying/talking etc
▪ We overheard Jenny and her friends talking about their boyfriends last night.
I couldn’t help overhearing
say this when you have accidentally overheard someone saying something
▪ I couldn’t help overhearing you and Jim last night - is something wrong?
2. the ability to hear
▷ hearing /ˈhɪ ə rɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
somebody’s hearing
▪ My hearing’s not very good - can you speak a little louder please?
sense of hearing
▪ Bats have a very powerful sense of hearing.
lose your hearing
become unable to hear
▪ Paula lost her hearing after a tragic car accident.
loss of hearing
▪ Years of playing in a rock band had resulted in a loss of hearing.
3. when you can hear something or someone
▷ can hear /kən ˈhɪəʳ/ [verb phrase]
▪ You don’t have to shout, I can hear you!
▪ The explosion could be heard over 10 miles away.
▪ Can you hear all right or do you want me to turn the television up?
can hear somebody/something doing something
▪ We knew he was asleep because we could hear him snoring.
can hear what somebody says
▪ Could you hear what she was saying?
▷ can make out /kən ˌmeɪk ˈaʊt/ [verb phrase]
if you can make out what someone is saying, you can hear them but it is difficult :
▪ She was crying and the only thing I could make out was Lou’s name.
▪ Sarah spoke so softly that Kathryn could hardly make out her words.
▪ Now and then I could just make out George’s voice above the music.
▪ I could make out the sound of thunder in the distance.
▷ audible /ˈɔːdɪb ə l, ˈɔːdəb ə l/ [adjective]
loud enough to be heard :
▪ The signal is clearly audible up to 200 miles away.
▪ When the engine finally started she gave an audible sigh of relief.
barely audible
almost not audible
▪ His voice was barely audible above the noise of the generator.
▷ within earshot /wɪðɪn ˈɪəʳʃɒtǁ-ʃɑːt/ [adverb]
if you are within earshot, you are near enough to someone to be able to hear what they are saying :
▪ You can play anywhere on the beach as long as you stay within earshot.
within earshot of
▪ Two of the shop assistants were complaining loudly within earshot of the customers.
▷ carry /ˈkæri/ [intransitive verb]
if a sound carries, it can be heard a long distance away from where the sound was made :
▪ Deeper sounds carry further than high-pitched ones.
carry across/down/through etc something
▪ Their voices carried across the lake to where we were sitting.
4. when you cannot hear someone or something
▷ can’t hear /ˌkɑːnt ˈhɪəʳǁˌkænt-/ [verb phrase]
▪ Speak up a bit. I can’t hear you.
▪ Could you turn the radio up - I can’t hear the news.
▪ Let’s move nearer to the front. I can’t hear very well here.
▪ The music was so loud that I couldn’t hear what she was saying.
▷ didn’t hear /ˌdɪdnt ˈhɪəʳ/
use this when you did not hear something at all, especially when you did not realize there was anything to hear :
▪ I was outside in the yard, so I didn’t hear the phone.
▪ She was staring out of the window and didn’t hear the teacher.
didn’t hear somebody do something
▪ What time did you get back last night? I didn’t hear you come in.
didn’t hear somebody/something doing something
▪ She didn’t hear the car pulling up outside the house.
▷ didn’t catch /ˌdɪdnt ˈkætʃ/ [verb phrase] spoken
say this when you did not hear what someone said, because they were speaking too quietly or because you were not listening carefully :
▪ ‘What did he just say?’ ‘I didn’t quite catch it.’
▪ I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name.
▪ He turned away from me so I didn’t catch what he said.
▷ can’t make something out /ˌkɑːnt meɪk something ˈaʊtǁˌkænt-/ [verb phrase] spoken
to not be able to hear what someone is saying because it is very quiet or unclear :
▪ Mat whispered something but I couldn’t make out the words.
▪ She knew they were arguing though she couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying,
▷ inaudible /ɪnˈɔːdɪb ə l, ɪnˈɔːdəb ə l/ [adjective]
not loud enough to be heard :
▪ Nick’s voice was inaudible through the glass barrier.
▪ Three girls were singing something but their words were almost inaudible.
▷ out of earshot /ˌaʊt əv ˈɪəʳʃɒtǁ-ʃɑːt/ [adverb]
if you are out of earshot you are not near enough to someone or something to be able to hear them :
▪ As soon as the guards were out of earshot, Grimes explained his plans.
out of earshot of
▪ The social worker wanted to talk to the children out of earshot of their parents.
5. make something impossible to hear
▷ drown out /ˌdraʊn ˈaʊt/ [transitive phrasal verb]
if something drowns something or someone out, it is so loud or noisy that you cannot hear them properly :
▪ His voice was drowned out by the traffic.
drown out something
▪ The applause from the audience almost drowned out the music.
drown something out
▪ Some of the crowd were now hissing and stamping their feet in an attempt to drown him out.
6. someone who cannot hear
▷ deaf /def/ [adjective]
▪ Her second child, Oscar, was born deaf.
▪ There is no reason why deaf people wouldn’t lead perfectly normal lives.
go deaf
become deaf
▪ You’ll need to speak quite loudly because my father’s going deaf.
the deaf
deaf people
▪ More programmes these days have subtitles for the deaf.
stone deaf/deaf as a post
especially British completely deaf
▪ Mr Farrer, a white-haired man in his fifties, had been stone deaf since he was a child.
deafness [uncountable noun]
▪ Deafness should not be an obstacle to finding work.
▷ be hard of hearing /biː ˌhɑːʳd əv ˈhɪ ə rɪŋ/ [verb phrase]
to be unable to hear well :
▪ My grandfather’s a little hard of hearing, so he has the TV on very loud.
the hard of hearing
people who are hard of hearing
▪ The library provides films with subtitles for the hard of hearing.
▷ hearing impaired /ˈhɪ ə rɪŋ ɪmˌpeəʳd/ [adjective only before noun]
not able to hear - use this especially about things that are provided especially for people who cannot hear. Hearing impaired is a more polite word than deaf :
▪ Each lecture will be translated by the signer for the benefit of hearing impaired students.
▪ special classes for hearing impaired children