Meanings
present singular third person overhears · participle present overhearing · participle past overheard · past overheard
- ambitransitiveTo hear something that was not meant for one's ears.
I was hanging clothes in the garden and I overheard the neighbours talking about Sheila's pregnancy.
1 more example
"It is incomprehensible," replied Sir Fergus, dropping his voice so that the old man could not overhear.
1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Old Englishoferhīeran“to overhear, hear, disobey, disregard, neglect”
- Middle Englishoverheren
- Englishoverhear
From Middle English overheren, from Old English oferhīeran (“to overhear, hear, disobey, disregard, neglect”), equivalent to over- + hear. Cognate with Dutch overhoren (“to hear, hear about”), German überhören (“to not hear, ignore”), Danish overhøre (“to overhear”), Icelandic yfirheyra (“to hear”), Gothic *𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌾𐌰𐌽 (*ufarhausjan, “to disregard, disobey”) (in 𐌿𐍆𐌰𐍂𐌷𐌰𐌿𐍃𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (ufarhauseins)).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian дочувам
- дочувам (dočuvam)to hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Danish overhøre
- overhøreto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Dutch luistervinken
- luistervinkento hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Esperanto hazarde aŭdi, kaŝe aŭdi
- hazarde aŭdito hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- kaŝe aŭdito hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- subaŭskultito hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Finnish kuulla sattumalta, kuulla vahingossa
- kuulla sattumaltato hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- kuulla vahingossato hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- sattua kuulemaanto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
German zufällig mit anhören, aufschnappen
- zufällig mit anhörento hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- aufschnappento hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- mitbekommento hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- mitkriegento hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Hungarian véletlenülhall (meg)
- véletlenülhall (meg)to hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Italian origliare
- origliareto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Norwegian overhøre
- overhøreto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Polish podsłuchiwać, podsłuchać
- podsłuchiwaćto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- podsłuchaćto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Portuguese ouvir por acaso, escutar sem querer
- ouvir por acasoto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- escutar sem quererto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Russian подслу́шивать, подслу́шать
- подслу́шивать (podslúšivatʹ)to hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- подслу́шать (podslúšatʹ)to hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- случа́йно услы́шать (slučájno uslýšatʹ)to hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Swedish överhöra, råka höra
- överhörato hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
- råka hörato hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Vietnamese nghe lén
- nghe lénto hear something that wasn't meant for one's ears
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with overhear
Cite this entry
overhear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overhear
“overhear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overhear. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “overhear,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/overhear.
Source: overhear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.