overhear

verb

over·​hear ˌō-vər-ˈhir 

overheard ˌō-vər-ˈhərd  ; overhearing ˌō-vər-ˈhir-iŋ 

transitive verb

: to hear without the speaker's knowledge or intention

intransitive verb

: to overhear something

Synonyms

• eavesdrop (on)
• listen in (on)

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.

Recent Examples on the Web

Giulia overhears the twins plotting to silence the fisherman, who’s gone missing. —Martine Paris, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

And then calling him late last night, when his wife might have overheard, what was that about? —Joyce Carol Oates, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2025

The pilots overheard the altercation and ultimately decided to turn the plane back around to Savannah Hilton Head airport, rather than continue to Miami. —Kyla Guilfoil, NBC News, 12 Mar. 2025

On June 20, 1940, someone told the night marshal, Tip Hunter, that Elbert Williams, a relative of Elisha Davis’s, had been overheard proposing a meeting between the Brownsville and Jackson NAACP branches. —Essence, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1549, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for overhear

• auctioneer
• bandelier
• belvedere
• bombardier
• brigadier
• buccaneer
• cavalier
• chandelier
• chanticleer
• chevalier
• commandeer
• disappear

Kids Definition

overhear

verb

over·​hear ˌō-vər-ˈhi(ə)r 

overheard -ˈhərd  ; overhearing -ˈhi(ə)r-iŋ 

: to hear without the speaker's knowledge or intention