overhear
verb
over·hear
ˌō-vər-ˈhir 
overheard
ˌō-vər-ˈhərd
; overhearing
ˌō-vər-ˈhir-iŋ
; overhearing
ˌō-vər-ˈhir-iŋ
: to hear without the speaker's knowledge or intention
: to overhear something
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
Ocasio said an employee of hers who was taking out the garbage overheard the agents talking about the upcoming festivals.
—
Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2025
The Hurt Syndicate member’s girlfriend Alicia Atout allegedly overheard Baker speaking ill of MJF backstage during the July 17, 2024 broadcast of AEW Dynamite.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
But signals intelligence also has limitations, as overheard snippets of conversations sometimes lack context and must be paired with other information for a fuller picture of events.
—Arkansas Online, 30 June 2025
The future Hall of Famer was overheard discussing his next steps in the NBA in a recording making the rounds online over the weekend.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overhear
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Nell Salzman, Chicago Tribune, 10 July 2025
The Hurt Syndicate member’s girlfriend Alicia Atout allegedly overheard Baker speaking ill of MJF backstage during the July 17, 2024 broadcast of AEW Dynamite.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025
But signals intelligence also has limitations, as overheard snippets of conversations sometimes lack context and must be paired with other information for a fuller picture of events.
—Arkansas Online, 30 June 2025
The future Hall of Famer was overheard discussing his next steps in the NBA in a recording making the rounds online over the weekend.
—Anna Lazarus Caplan, People.com, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for overhear
Cite this Entry
“Overhear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/overhear. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
overhear
verb
over·hear
ˌō-vər-ˈhi(ə)r
overheard
-ˈhərd
; overhearing
-ˈhi(ə)r-iŋ
; overhearing
-ˈhi(ə)r-iŋ
: to hear without the speaker's knowledge or intention
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