hearken

or hark·en

[ hahr-kuh n ]

/ ˈhɑr kən /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR hearken ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

Literary. to give heed or attention to what is said; listen.

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to listen to; hear.

Nearby words

hearing dog, hearing impairment, hearing loss, hearing-ear dog, hearing-impaired, hearken, hearn, hearn, lafcadio, hearsay, hearsay evidence, hearsay rule

Origin of hearken

1150–1200; Middle English hercnen, Old English he(o)rcnian, suffixed form of assumed *heorcian; see hark, -en¹

Related formsheark·en·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for hearken

Hearken to the bleating of newborn two-headed freak candidacy lambs.
PJ’s Political Forecast: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatheads|P. J. O’Rourke|March 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And hearken to this latest warning by Kevin Sabet: cigarettes are legal, yet organized crime syndicates still smuggle them.
Let's Have a Smarter Approach to Marijuana|David Frum|January 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
I hope you'll find it entertaining, but even more that you'll hearken to its message.
"Patriots" Goes Live Today|David Frum|April 30, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The king had no heart to hearken longer, but betook him straightway to his bed; cause enow had he for woe, or so it seemed him!
Sir Gawain and the Lady of Lys|Anonymous

But the Senator from Maine says he is unwilling to hearken to suggestions from foreign nations.
Charles Sumner; his complete works, volume 7 (of 20)|Charles Sumner
But the multitude advised him to hearken to none of his proposals, but to despise him, and be in readiness to fight him.
The Antiquities of the Jews|Flavius Josephus
I call upon others to join me, in order to make a company apart, but no one will hearken to me.
Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume I (of 2)|John Hill Burton
But the empresse and hir brother would not hearken to any agréement, except that the realme Geruasius Dorober.
Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (4 of 12)|Raphael Holinshed

British Dictionary definitions for hearken

hearken

sometimes US harken

/ (ˈhɑːkən) /

verb

archaic to listen to (something)

Derived Formshearkener, noun

Word Origin for hearken

Old English heorcnian; see hark

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

hearken

or hark·en

verb (used without object)

verb (used with object)

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of hearken

Examples from the Web for hearken

British Dictionary definitions for hearken

hearken

sometimes US harken

verb

Word Origin for hearken