listener
Americannoun
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listeners
plural
-
someone who gives attention with the ear, especially for the purpose of hearing specific sounds, speech, instructions, etc..
At story time, you may choose to be a reader or a listener.
-
someone who listens to a radio broadcast or to a specific radio program.
They attract teenage listeners with pop songs about first love.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of listener
First recorded in 1600–20; listen ( def. ) + -er 1 ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing listener
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Wisconsin Republican Sen. Ron Johnson, who was a longtime listener of Limbaugh’s show, initially didn’t think anyone could replace him.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
The song is a lesson about the importance of empathy drained of the feel-good reassurance that might let the listener off the hook.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026
For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David answer a few more listener questions, just to tide you over until after a quick break.
From Slate ● Aug. 20, 2026
Today, according to career experts, being an active listener or agreeable conversationalist might hold more weight, particularly in communicating ideas.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026
I can't say that he is a good listener.
From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan
It reaches 550 stations and about seven million monthly listeners.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
In general, her listeners insisted that they’re just asking questions.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
“The music industry is looking for its next growth story, and superfans—a highly engaged, under-monetized segment of listeners who spend disproportionately on concert tickets, merch and artist experiences—are an attractive solution.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
The five-piece Seattle band, who play "aggressive yet emotionally stirring heavy metal" according to AllMusic, external, released their 12th album in September 2025 and have 350,000 monthly listeners on Spotify.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Beauty Minister tells royal listeners what criteria the ministers and the queen used to choose the favorite this season: disciplined, dutiful, responsible.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
