hear things

verb

To imagine that one hears sounds that are not actually real; to have auditory hallucinations.

“You didn't hear that? Am I hearing things?”

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Meanings

verbhear things (third-person singular simple present hears things, present participle hearing things, simple past and past participle heard things)

present singular third person hears things · participle present hearing things · participle past heard things · past heard things

  1. idiomaticTo imagine that one hears sounds that are not actually real; to have auditory hallucinations.

    You didn't hear that? Am I hearing things?

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see hear, thing.
Cite this entry
APA

hear things. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hear%20things

MLA

“hear things.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hear%20things. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hear things,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hear%20things.

Source: hear things on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.