listener
Americannoun
-
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
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
Ostensibly anchored to the dancefloor, it's a record that uses dance music to shake the listener out of complacency.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
In terms of analysis, solfege instantly informs the listener or singer which lines of music are the same and helps them compare and contrast each line rather quickly!
From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin
Although “Tigi Tigi” never reached the heights of their other songs on the pop charts, Hakim and Don Omar created a cult classic that continues to move listeners at any function.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
Bauer, an assistant journalism and creative media professor at the University of Alabama, said it’s not surprising to him that many of Owens’s current listeners identify as apolitical.
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 announcer urges German listeners to find others to tune in and reminds them to turn the dial so that they won't give themselves away, if caught.
From "The Boy Who Dared" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
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.
