hearsay evidence

noun

: evidence based not on a witness's personal knowledge but on another's statement not made under oath : a statement made out of court and not under oath which is offered as proof that what is stated is true

Examples of hearsay evidence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Such testimony would normally be prohibited by the rule against hearsay evidence, which exists to screen out unverifiable statements. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 27 Dec. 2025 More liberal rules allowing hearsay evidence allowed lawyers for the Brown and Goldman families to use excerpts from Nicole’s diaries. — Elaine Woo, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024 Graf said in his ruling from the bench that, because of the lower bar for the preliminary hearing, hearsay evidence would be allowed to be used by the prosecution against Robinson to establish probable cause. — Jack Birle, The Washington Examiner, 22 June 2026 Heather Honey, who owns a Pennsylvania company that worked on the state senate’s partisan election audit last year, testified about her failure to obtain public records and introduced hearsay evidence from affidavits. — Ray Stern, USA TODAY, 25 Dec. 2022 See All Example Sentences for hearsay evidence

Word History

First Known Use

1753, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of hearsay evidence was in 1753

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hearsay

hearsay evidence

hearse

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Style

“Hearsay evidence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearsay%20evidence. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

hearsay evidence

noun

: a statement made out of court and not under oath that is offered as proof that what is stated is true

Legal Definition

hearsay evidence

hearsay evidence

noun

Examples of hearsay evidence in a Sentence

Word History

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Kids Definition

Legal Definition

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