listen

American  

[lis-uhn] / ˈlɪs ən /

verb (used without object)

• listens,
  present (3rd person singular)
• listened,
  past participle,  past
• listening
  present participle

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)

• listens,
  present (3rd person singular)
• listened,
  past participle,  past
• listening
  present participle

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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Synonym Usage

See hear.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• listener
  noun
• relisten
  verb
• unlistening
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• listening
  present
• listened
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• listen
  simple
• listens
  simple
• have listened
  perfect
• has listened
  perfect
• am listening
  progressive
• are listening
  progressive
• is listening
  progressive
• have been listening
  perfect progressive
• has been listening
  perfect progressive

Past

• listened
  simple
• had listened
  perfect
• was listening
  progressive
• were listening
  progressive
• had been listening
  perfect progressive

Future

• will listen
  simple
• will have listened
  perfect
• will be listening
  progressive
• will have been listening
  perfect progressive

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

See Examples For:

listen listens listened listening

It is their role to listen and be kind when you share details about your lives.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

Saul doesn’t have Dan’s ability to spot future talent, but he agrees to give the singer a listen if they cut a demo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026

He had a tough time at school, but says teachers didn't listen.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

It’s right next to you, wherever you are, if you only listen for it.

From Salon ● Sep. 21, 2026

I listen to the babble of the stream that runs alongside most of the trail and the chatter of birds.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

He listens to them, as they navigate their complicated feelings, closely tracking the way their intersecting paths lead them toward incremental revelation.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

The production team unearthed reel-to-reel recordings of that performance more than 40 years ago, and they will be woven into the new production as his character listens back to echoes of his younger self.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

The influencer said when people find out that she listens to Owens, they often mock her and call her a conspiracy theorist.

From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026

“When he talks, everyone stops and listens because he’s going to bestow some concept that will change the way they think,” said Rich Caccappolo, vice chairman of media for the Daily Mail General Trust.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 8, 2026

In the gym, which is steamy because of the rain, Mr. Binkley starts talking, but nobody listens.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

In her project A Crash Course in Cloudspotting, audiences lay down together and listened to audio of disabled people's experiences.

From BBC ● Sep. 23, 2026

Her family's concerns were not listened to, which later prompted her parents, Merope and Paul, to change that culture by creating the rule.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

In person Friday morning, El-Sayed mostly stood there and listened.

From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026

While in China, he listened to American bebop and jazz on the radio and watched American films at the movie theater owned by his best friend’s father.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Before we opened the corn-crib door, we stood still and listened.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

As a moderate, he said, he hoped that all members of Congress — even those not in attendance — were listening.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

If you each take turns listening to each other’s problems ad nauseum, no one wins.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 21, 2026

However, listening to Saylor make his sales pitch to the men filling the expo hall, I understood why people kept giving him money.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

"I heard this noise. I couldn't quite make out what it was, and then I worked out it was the crowd outside the abbey, who'd been listening on the speakers," he says.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

But now, listening to Rose, I wonder if it was exactly that.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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