hearing
Pluralhearings (some meanings)
Pluralhearings (some meanings)
- 1The power to notice sounds with your ears.
Like a microphone built into your body: your ears pick up sounds and send them to your brain.
Grandpa's hearing isn't as good as it used to be.
Loud music can hurt your hearing over time.
UsageSay my hearing or his hearing. Hard of hearing means not able to hear well.
- 2Present participle and gerund of hear. Use it for actions happening right now, or to talk about the act itself.
I keep hearing a strange noise from the car at night.
Hearing your voice always makes me smile.
UsageFor a sound now, say I can hear it. We're hearing is used for news.
- 3An official meeting, often in a court, where people give facts and opinions so that someone can decide something.
The judge will listen to both sides at the hearing next week.
Her lawyer asked the court for a hearing about the new evidence.
UsageSay a court holds a hearing. The kind comes first, as in a bail hearing.
Note
- 4Able to hear, used to describe people who are not deaf.
My deaf friend taught her hearing classmates some simple signs.
He is the only hearing person in his deaf family.
UsageUsed before words like people or child to mean not deaf: a hearing person.
Oppositedeaf
Note
Less common meanings
- 5A chance to say what you think and have people really listen to it.
Please give my idea a hearing before you say no.
The students finally got a hearing from the principal about the lunch rules.
UsageSay give someone a hearing, or get a fair hearing.
Note
- 6A single act of listening to or taking in a sound.
One hearing of the song was enough to get it stuck in my head.
The story got funnier with each hearing.
UsageSay a first hearing of a song, or with each hearing.
Similarlistening
Note
- 7The distance away from which a sound can still reach your ears.
Like the circle of light around a campfire, but made of sound instead of light.
We waited until the kids were out of hearing before talking about the gift.
Don't say anything about the party within hearing of your sister.
UsageSay within hearing of someone, or out of hearing. It means the same as earshot.
Similarearshot
Note
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Showing meanings only.
hearing is a form of hear
hear, verb: To notice a sound with your ears, or to be able to sense sounds. Full entry
- Spelling
- hear → hearing: add -ing
Practice
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Origin
This word comes from the verb "hear" plus the ending "-ing".
Checked 5 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Hearing comes from the verb hear plus the ending -ing. en.wiktionary.org