listen

[ lis-uhn ]

verb (used without object)

1. to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.
2. to pay attention; heed; obey (often followed by to ):

   Children don't always listen to their parents.

3. to wait attentively for a sound (usually followed by for ):

   to listen for sounds of their return.

4. Informal. to convey a particular impression to the hearer; sound:

   The new recording doesn't listen as well as the old one.

verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to give ear to; hear.

verb phrase

1. 1. to listen to a radio or television broadcast:

      Listen in tomorrow for the names of the lottery winners.

   2. to overhear a conversation or communication, especially by telephone; eavesdrop:

      Someone was listening in to his private calls.

listen

/ ˈlɪsən /

verb

1. to concentrate on hearing something
2. to take heed; pay attention

   I told you many times but you wouldn't listen

Derived Forms

• ˈlistener, noun

Other Words From

• listen·er noun
• re·listen verb
• un·listen·ing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of listen¹

First recorded before 950; Middle English lis(t)nen, Old English hlysnan; cognate with Middle High German lüsenen, Swedish lyssna; akin to list ⁵

Word History and Origins

Origin of listen¹

Old English hlysnan; related to Old High German lūstrēn

Synonym Study

See hear.

Example Sentences

Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.

From BBC

Coverage: Listen to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds, follow live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app.

From BBC

Some of it was about equality for women, “Like, ‘Listen, times are changing around here.

From Los Angeles Times

And one other thing: Listen to the quiet.

From Salon

"Get Low was playing when I first met Priscilla at a college party, so every year we listen to it on our dating anniversary," the Meta boss explained on his own platform Instagram.

From BBC

Related Words

• accept
• admit
• attend
• get
• observe
• take notice
• tune in