overhearing

verb

present participle of overhear
as in hearing
to listen to (another in private conversation) it's not polite to try to overhear intimate friends sharing confidences

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of overhearing Dogs also learned new object names by overhearing them. — Liz Regalia, Parents, 25 Jan. 2026 The episode ends with Teddy getting a voicemail from Owen and overhearing a bridge collapse and car crash that may be fatal. — Taijuan Moorman, USA Today, 1 May 2026 The only real threat is a whistleblower, like an outcast kid overhearing the whole criminal scheme from the floor below his mother’s office. — Scott Tobias, Vulture, 12 Apr. 2026 Haley began making the octopi after overhearing a nurse saying some would be helpful in the NICU. — ABC News, 26 Feb. 2026 For creator Lee Sung Jin, the inspiration came from overhearing a heated dispute inside a couple’s home. — Ryan Brennan, Sacbee.com, 16 Apr. 2026 The internal monologue is perhaps the more obvious choice for paranoid fiction, but by writing in dialogue, Dorfman puts us in the place of the listener with an ear pressed to a closed door, overhearing the anxious voices. — James Folta, Literary Hub, 5 Feb. 2026 Hyman remembers overhearing a conversation between Stecher and then-Oilers assistant coach Paul Coffey as the trade deadline approached. — Joshua Kloke, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026 Another resident reported frequently overhearing arguing coming from the apartment. — Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 1 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overhearing
  1. hearing
  2. spying
  3. monitoring
  4. snooping
Verb
  • Handing the survivor her jewelry and hearing her story a few days later gave Dondi and her team of volunteers a reassuring nudge to push forward with their work.
    — Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
  • During Murdaugh’s first status hearing on Monday, June 29, Judge Debra McCaslin did not rule on the DNA evidence, telling defense attorneys to clarify if the sample was viable.
    — Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
Definition of hearing
Verb
  • This is not the first time an American has been accused of spying for Iran.
    — Sophia Mandt, The Washington Examiner, 30 June 2026
  • In 2024, the Canadian women’s national team was accused of using a drone to spy on a New Zealand training session in the days leading up to its opening match at the Paris Olympics, triggering a spying scandal that led to sanctions against Canada.
    — Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 18 June 2026
Definition of spying
Verb
  • Critics also questioned whether acoustic microphones monitoring public spaces could amount to a form of surveillance, as well as who would have access to any audio data collected.
    — Bonny Chu, FOXNews.com, 1 July 2026
  • Beat officers monitoring police radio observed a tow truck matching the description of the white truck near 4300 South Western Avenue, the source said.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2026
Definition of monitoring
Verb
  • Her mother has become a fan but didn’t start out that way, unaware her high school had a soccer team until Garbowski went snooping in an old yearbook.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 June 2026
  • Besides the risk of Oracle snooping into your business, there’s also the possibility of regulatory capture — that is, because Ellison is so tight with the Trumps, what remains of the government watchdogs won’t stop it.
    — Elizabeth Lopatto, The Verge, 29 Apr. 2026
Definition of snooping

Browse Nearby Words

overheard
overhearing
overhears
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Cite this Entry

“Overhearing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overhearing. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on overhearing

Nglish: Translation of overhearing for Spanish Speakers

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