Hear, v. i.
1. To have the sense or faculty of perceiving sound. “The hearing ear.”
2. To use the power of perceiving sound; to perceive or apprehend by the ear; to attend; to listen.
So spake our mother Eve, and Adam heard,
Well pleased, but answered not. --Milton.
3. To be informed by oral communication; to be told; to receive information by report or by letter.
I have heard, sir, of such a man. --Shak.
I must hear from thee every day in the hour. --Shak.
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.]
Note: ☞ 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.
Hear him, . . . a cry indicative, according to the tone, of admiration, acquiescence, indignation, or derision. --Macaulay.
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