heard

Meanings

1. 1verbtransitive or intransitive

   Past tense and past participle of hear: noticed a sound with your ears.

   Grammar: Takes an object (I heard a noise) or none (she never heard).

   Patterns

   • heard something
   • heard someone do something

   I heard footsteps in the hallway at midnight.

   She heard the doorbell but did not answer.

   Have you heard the new song on the radio?

2. 2verbtransitive or intransitive

   Learned or been told something by someone, such as news or a rumor.

   Grammar: Often followed by of, about or from: I heard about the move.

   Patterns

   • heard about something
   • heard from someone
   • heard that something

   I heard that the shop is closing next month.

   We haven't heard from Maria since she moved.

   He heard about the job from a friend.

3. 3verbtransitiveformallegal

   Listened to and paid attention to someone, especially officially, as in a court or meeting.

   Grammar: Often used in the passive: the case was heard on Monday.

   Patterns

   • heard a case
   • heard evidence

   The judge heard the evidence for three days.

   The committee heard the neighbors' complaints.

   Her appeal was heard last week.

Common combinations

heard a noise

We heard a noise outside the tent.

heard of

I've never heard of that band.

heard from

Have you heard from your brother lately?

heard about

She heard about the party on Friday.

heard it said

I have often heard it said that practice makes perfect.

Synonyms and how they differ

listened

Listened means paying attention on purpose, while heard can happen without any effort.

learned

Learned fits the news sense, but it sounds more formal than heard.

caught

Caught implies you managed to hear something only partly or quickly, such as a few words.

overheard

Overheard means you heard what others said without them knowing, so it is narrower than heard.

Opposites

Word family

hear verb

the base form

hearing noun

the ability to hear, or an official meeting

hearsay noun

information you heard but cannot confirm

unheard adjective

not noticed or listened to

Commonly confused: heard or herd?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “heard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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