listener

American  

[lis-uh-ner] / ˈlɪs ə nər /

noun

• listeners
  plural

1. 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.

2. someone who listens to a radio broadcast or to a specific radio program.

   They attract teenage listeners with pop songs about first love.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• listeners
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of listener

First recorded in 1600–20; listen ( def. ) + -er ¹ ( def. )

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

listener listeners

I have used AI to work on this capacity, and to become, well, if not exactly the world’s greatest listener, maybe 10% less bossy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 12, 2026

He was a voracious reader and an even more voracious listener, for whom genre was of no concern.

From Salon ● Sep. 8, 2026

But Parton — the songwriter, the vocalist, the instrumentalist, the collaborator — only ever wanted to invite a listener in, wherever they arrive from.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 25, 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

And being able to "see the big picture" does help the listener enjoy the music even more.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

Not because listeners believe everything they hear, but because they don’t realize what they aren’t hearing.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 20, 2026

Stateside listeners will be delighted to learn that the edition concludes with “Watching the Detectives,” the searing track that was appended to the American release.

From Salon ● Oct. 14, 2026

The circumstances surrounding the release of “Toxicity” became even more surreal one week later, when the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks changed the country and altered the way some listeners interpreted the album.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

In the best performances, rare though they may be, this music grabs listeners by the collar and never lets them go.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Instead of trying to improve their listeners, musicians started pampering them.

From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall

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Related Words

• audience

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