v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Heard p. pr. & vb. n. Hearing. ] [ OE. heren, AS, . hiéran, h&ymacr_;ran, hēran; akin to OS. hōrian, OFries. hera, hora, D. hooren, OHG. hōren, G. hören, Icel. heyra, Sw. höra, Dan. hore, Goth. hausjan, and perh. to Gr. 'akoy`ein, E. acoustic. Cf. Hark, Hearken. ] 1. To perceive by the ear; to apprehend or take cognizance of by the ear; as, to hear sounds; to hear a voice; to hear one call. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lay thine ear close to the ground, and list if thou canst hear the tread of travelers. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

He had been heard to utter an ominous growl. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To give audience or attention to; to listen to; to heed; to accept the doctrines or advice of; to obey; to examine; to try in a judicial court; as, to hear a recitation; to hear a class; the case will be heard to-morrow. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To attend, or be present at, as hearer or worshiper; as, to hear a concert; to hear Mass. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To give attention to as a teacher or judge. [ 1913 Webster ]

Thy matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed of the king to hear thee. 2 Sam. xv. 3. [ 1913 Webster ]

I beseech your honor to hear me one single word. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To accede to the demand or wishes of; to listen to and answer favorably; to favor. [ 1913 Webster ]

I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice. Ps. cxvi. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

They think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Matt. vi. 7. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hear him. See Remark, under Hear, v. i. --
To hear a bird sing, to receive private communication. [ Colloq. ] Shak. --
To hear say, to hear one say; to learn by common report; to receive by rumor. [ Colloq. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. To have the sense or faculty of perceiving sound. “The hearing ear.” Prov. xx. 12. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To use the power of perceiving sound; to perceive or apprehend by the ear; to attend; to listen. [ 1913 Webster ]

So spake our mother Eve, and Adam heard,
Well pleased, but answered not. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To be informed by oral communication; to be told; to receive information by report or by letter. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have heard, sir, of such a man. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

I must hear from thee every day in the hour. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

To hear ill, to be blamed. [ Obs. ]

Not only within his own camp, but also now at Rome, he heard ill for his temporizing and slow proceedings. Holland.

--
To hear well, to be praised. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Hear, or Hear him, is often used in the imperative, especially in the course of a speech in English assemblies, to call attention to the words of the speaker. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hear him, . . . a cry indicative, according to the tone, of admiration, acquiescence, indignation, or derision. Macaulay. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. perceptible by the ear. Opposite of inaudible. Also See: loud, perceptible.
Syn. -- audible. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

imp. & p. p. of Hear. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who hears; an auditor. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. 1. The act or power of perceiving sound; perception of sound; the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived; as, my hearing is good. [ 1913 Webster ]

I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear. Job xlii. 5. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Hearing in a special sensation, produced by stimulation of the auditory nerve; the stimulus (waves of sound) acting not directly on the nerve, but through the medium of the endolymph on the delicate epithelium cells, constituting the peripheral terminations of the nerve. See Ear. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. Attention to what is delivered; opportunity to be heard; audience; as, I could not obtain a hearing. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. A listening to facts and evidence, for the sake of adjudication; a session of a court for considering proofs and determining issues. [ 1913 Webster ]

His last offenses to us
Shall have judicious hearing. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

Another hearing before some other court. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Hearing, as applied to equity cases, means the same thing that the word trial does at law. Abbot. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. Extent within which sound may be heard; sound; earshot. “She's not within hearing.” Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

They laid him by the pleasant shore,
And in the hearing of the wave. Tennyson. [ 1913 Webster ]

adj. having a hearing impairment making hearing difficult; having a defective but functioning sense of hearing.
Syn. -- hard-of-hearing. [ WordNet 1.5 +PJC ]

v. i. [ imp. & p. p. Hearkened p. pr. & vb. n. Hearkening. ] [ OE. hercnen, hercnien, AS. hercnian, heorcnian, fr. hiéran, h&ymacr_;ran, to hear; akin to OD. harcken, horcken, LG. harken, horken, G. horchen. See Hear, and cf. Hark. ] 1. To listen; to lend the ear; to attend to what is uttered; to give heed; to hear, in order to obey or comply. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Furies hearken, and their snakes uncurl. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

Hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you. Deut. iv. 1. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To inquire; to seek information. [ Obs. ] “Hearken after their offense.” Shak.

Syn. -- To attend; listen; hear; heed. See Attend, v. i. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. 1. To hear by listening. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

[ She ] hearkened now and then
Some little whispering and soft groaning sound. Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To give heed to; to hear attentively. [ Archaic ] [ 1913 Webster ]

The King of Naples . . . hearkens my brother's suit. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

To hearken out, to search out. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

If you find none, you must hearken out a vein and buy. B. Johnson. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. One who hearkens; a listener. [ 1913 Webster ]