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hearken

or hark·en

[ hahr-kuhn ]
/ ˈhɑr kən /
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See synonyms for: hearken / hearkening 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.
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Origin of hearken

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hearken

heark·en·er, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to hearken

apprehend, attend, auscultate, catch, descry, devour, eavesdrop, get, give, hark, heed, listen, overhear, read, strain, take, be all ears, get wind of, make out, pick up

How to use hearken in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hearken

hearken

sometimes US harken

/ (ˈhɑːkən) /
verb
archaic to listen to (something)

Derived forms of hearken

hearkener, 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
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