overheard

verb

past tense of overhear
as in heard
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 overheard With the festival’s first weekend coinciding with the Brazilian presidential elections, almost every conversation overheard at RioMarket during the event’s early days was intertwined with politics. — Rafa Sales Ross, Variety, 12 Oct. 2026 Because then Linnea overheard Carter and Ori strategizing in the shelter. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2026 Raves for Montana Levi Blanco’s lush costumes in the courtly, Elizabethan style could be overheard around the table, and rightfully so; their opulence and sick glamour struck the perfect note for the depravity of the piece’s villainous couple. — Christopher Barnard, Vogue, 23 Sep. 2026 Police said the school went into lockdown after officers saw students running down hallways and received reports that someone overheard a comment about a gun. — Steve Maugeri, CBS News, 17 Sep. 2026 The actors speak quietly, as if fearful of being overheard, whether or not there is anyone around to hear, and often regard one another with pained or stunned expressions. — Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026 While checking into his hotel in Paris three years ago, Lucas overheard a pair of rugby fans from South Africa talking about their monthlong stay in France for the tournament. — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 14 Aug. 2026 Jackson said California's law about confidential communication doesn't apply when there is a reasonable expectation that a conversation could be overheard or recorded. — Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 1 Aug. 2026 One of the first people to join his congregation was Gayana Albayan, who had learned about God through inference and overheard prayer. — Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for overheard
  1. heard
  2. spied
  3. monitored
Verb
  • None of these commitments are new, however, and founders have heard versions of them before.
    — Sophie Dembinski, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2026
  • By providing clear, consistent and frequent communication about the change, leaders foster a sense of stability and clarity, while inviting everyone’s voice to be heard.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of heard
Verb
  • At a press conference yesterday NASA presented its preliminary findings, which touch on everything from the moon’s surprisingly colorful craters to a series of curious flashes that the astronauts spied in lunar shadows.
    — Robin George Andrews, Scientific American, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The tourists, having sent home seven players and their coaching staff mid-series, made four changes but really only spied solace in the performance of Razaullah Khan, one of three debutants.
    — Paul Newman, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of spied
Verb
  • The distillery actually reopened in 2021, but of course the whisky being made there now is very different from what is in the leftover casks, which are still being matured and monitored by Diageo.
    — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 14 Oct. 2026
  • Others have said the declining lobster population needs to be more closely monitored.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of monitored

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overheard
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Cite this Entry

“Overheard.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/overheard. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

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