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overheard

o·ver·hear
O o

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [oh-ver-heer]
    • /ˌoʊ vərˈhɪər/
    • /ˌəʊ.vəˈhɪər/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [oh-ver-heer]
    • /ˌoʊ vərˈhɪər/

Definition of overheard word

  • verb with object overheard to hear (speech or a speaker) without the speaker's intention or knowledge: I accidentally overheard what they were saying. 1

Information block about the term

Origin of overheard

First appearance:

before 1540
One of the 30% oldest English words
First recorded in 1540-50; over- + hear

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Overheard

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

overheard popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 78% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
This word is included in each student's vocabulary. Most likely there is at least one movie with this word in the title.

overheard usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for overheard

verb overheard

  • earwigged — Simple past tense and past participle of earwig.
  • eavesdropped — Simple past tense and past participle of eavesdrop.
  • hearkened — Literary. to give heed or attention to what is said; listen.
  • listened — to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.
  • wiretapped — Simple past tense and past participle of wiretap.

Top questions with overheard

  • what does overheard mean?
  • what had piggy overheard the pilot saying?

See also

Matching words

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