Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Hear \Hear\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Heard}; p. pr. & vb. n.
   {Hearing}.] [OE. heren, AS,. hi['e]ran, h?ran, h?ran; akin to
   OS. h?rian, OFries. hera, hora, D. hooren, OHG. h?ren, G.
   h["o]ren, Icel. heyra, Sw: h["o]ra, Dan. hore, Goth. hausjan,
   and perh. to Gr. ?, E. acoustic. Cf. {Hark}, {Hearken}.]
   1. To perceive by the ear; to apprehend or take cognizance of
      by the ear; as, to hear sounds; to hear a voice; to hear
      one call.

            Lay thine ear close to the ground, and list if thou
            canst hear the tread of travelers.    --Shak.

            He had been heard to utter an ominous growl.
                                                  --Macaulay.

   2. To give audience or attention to; to listen to; to heed;
      to accept the doctrines or advice of; to obey; to examine;
      to try in a judicial court; as, to hear a recitation; to
      hear a class; the case will be heard to-morrow.

   3. To attend, or be present at, as hearer or worshiper; as,
      to hear a concert; to hear Mass.

   4. To give attention to as a teacher or judge.

            Thy matters are good and right, but there is no man
            deputed of the king to hear thee.     --2 Sam. xv.
                                                  3.

            I beseech your honor to hear me one single word.
                                                  --Shak.

   5. To accede to the demand or wishes of; to listen to and
      answer favorably; to favor.

            I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice.
                                                  --Ps. cxvi. 1.

            They think that they shall be heard for their much
            speaking.                             --Matt. vi. 7.

   {Hear him}. See Remark, under {Hear}, v. i.

   {To hear a bird sing}, to receive private communication.
      [Colloq.] --Shak.

   {To hear say}, to hear one say; to learn by common report; to
      receive by rumor. [Colloq.]

Hearing \Hear"ing\, n.
   1. The act or power of perceiving sound; perception of sound;
      the faculty or sense by which sound is perceived; as, my
      hearing is good.

            I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear.
                                                  --Job xlii. 5.

   Note: Hearing in a special sensation, produced by stim??ation
         of the auditory nerve; the stimulus (waves of sound)
         acting not directly on the nerve, but through the
         medium of the endolymph on the delicate epithelium
         cells, constituting the peripheral terminations of the
         nerve. See {Ear}.

   2. Attention to what is delivered; opportunity to be heard;
      audience; as, I could not obtain a hearing.

   3. A listening to facts and evidence, for the sake of
      adjudication; a session of a court for considering proofs
      and determining issues.

            His last offenses to us Shall have judicious
            hearing.                              --Shak.

            Another hearing before some other court. --Dryden.

   Note: Hearing, as applied to equity cases, means the same
         thing that the word trial does at law. --Abbot.

   4. Extent within which sound may be heard; sound; earshot.
      ``She's not within hearing.'' --Shak.

            They laid him by the pleasant shore, And in the
            hearing of the wave.                  --Tennyson.

Source : WordNet®

hearing
     adj : able to perceive sound [syn: {hearing(a)}] [ant: {deaf}]

hearing
     n 1: (law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is
          taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact
          and reaching a decision based on that evidence
     2: an opportunity to state your case and be heard; "they
        condemned him without a hearing"; "he saw that he had lost
        his audience" [syn: {audience}]
     3: the range within which a voice can be heard; "the children
        were told to stay within earshot" [syn: {earshot}, {earreach}]
     4: the act of hearing attentively; "you can learn a lot by just
        listening"; "they make good music--you should give them a
        hearing" [syn: {listening}]
     5: a session (of a committee or grand jury) in which witnesses
        are called and testimony is taken; "the investigative
        committee will hold hearings in Chicago"
     6: the ability to hear; the auditory faculty; "his hearing was
        impaired" [syn: {audition}, {auditory sense}, {sense of
        hearing}, {auditory modality}]