listen

American  

[lis-uhn] / ˈlɪs ən /

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 byto ).

   Children don't always listen to their parents.

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

   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.

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verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to give ear to; hear.

verb phrase

1. listen in

   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 British  

/ ˈlɪsən /

verb

1. to concentrate on hearing something

2. to take heed; pay attention

   I told you many times but you wouldn't listen

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Related Words

See hear.

Other Word Forms

• listener
  noun
• relisten
  verb
• unlistening
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of listen

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

Explanation

If you really listen late at night after everyone's asleep, you'll hear the noises your house makes — the creaking of walls and floors, the hum of the refrigerator, the banging of the radiators. When you listen to something, you don't just hear it, but you really pay attention to the sounds. You can listen to music, listen for the sound of your guests arriving, or listen to the advice your grandfather gives you. The phrase listen in means to eavesdrop on, or deliberately overhear, a conversation. The t in the middle of the word listen is silent (you can't hear it even if you listen).

Example Sentences

“These large data sets and AI models really help us to cast a large net,” says Steve Croft, project scientist for the Breakthrough Listen initiative.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 23, 2026

Listen to the entire conversation with Brendan Hunt on “Everything Fab Four” and subscribe via Spotify, Apple, Google or wherever you’re listening.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

Listen to the full Newscast mini-series on BBC Sounds now.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Listen to the cumbia by young singer Estevie dedicated to the alley to get you prepped.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

"Listen, Robert, going to another country doesn't make any difference. I've tried all that. You can't get away from yourself by moving from one place to another. There's nothing to that."

From "The Sun Also Rises" by Ernest Hemingway

Related Words

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