overhear
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
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In towns near camps in western Massachusetts, it’s not uncommon to overhear conversations about prep school wait lists and tennis programs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
One can opt to be a relatively passive observer trying to overhear conversations and uncover the various storylines.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2025
Sometimes I just watch, trying to melt into a crowd, to overhear conversations, to spot glances and gestures and to see who leads and who follows.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2025
I regularly overhear other birders marveling over the flashy warblers in breeding plumage, while overlooking other comparatively less-flashy birds like vireos and sparrows.
From Salon ● Apr. 23, 2025
Margaret and I had a booth, which I liked a lot because I wasn't too eager for anyone to overhear what we had to say.
From "Silent To The Bone" by E.L. Konigsburg
Nearby, 40-year-old Masoumeh overhears our conversation and joins in.
From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026
In contrast to the danse macabre sequences at the deathbed, Jill overhears the “celebratory sound” of a neighbor’s back yard evening wedding by torchlight.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 26, 2026
And the plot goes out of its way to bolster that mistrust through a series of worrisome conversation snippets that she overhears.
From Salon ● Jun. 8, 2023
All seems idyllic — until the day Beth, approaching her husband and brother-in-law in a store, overhears Don saying that he doesn’t like her new novel at all, but he can’t tell her.
From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2023
“Word has it,” Marie-Laure overhears one taxidermist telling another, “the stone is from Japan, it’s very ancient, it belonged to a shogun in the eleventh century.”
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
Obesity-medicine doctor Dr. Angela Fitch recalled a time when she overheard prospective patients discussing the drug over breakfast.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
The San Juan native happened upon his first musical opportunity as a teen, when he overheard that a student band in his high school was looking for a bass player.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
She only learned about the reintroduction plan after asking rangers about discussions she had overheard.
From Barron's ● Jul. 8, 2026
In it, she also noted she had once overheard a colleague say: "I've never had to tell a woman so loudly, and so often, that she would kill her baby if she didn't push."
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
But based on what she'd just overheard in the hallway, their little secret had clattered out onto the floor.
From "A Wish in the Dark" by Christina Soontornvat
A tipster in the southern U.S. recalled overhearing a conversation that seemed to connect a local woman to the pipe bombs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 14, 2025
In notes found by Antony in the suitcase, Peter recalled overhearing conversations between his parents, and whispers about Nazi threats.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2025
“It was surreal getting back to work and being on the other side of the stage,” Huntley said, overhearing people talk about the early August show days later.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 2025
“Kids are often being exposed to these topics anyway, through their peers, the media and overhearing conversations,” said Wenner Moyer.
From Salon ● Oct. 7, 2024
By overhearing the guards and prisoners talking, Zeitoun realized the prison had been given at least two nicknames by the guards and soldiers.
From "Zeitoun" by Dave Eggers
