listen

American  

[lis-uhn] / ˈlɪs ən /

verb (used without object)

1. to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.

2. to pay attention; heed; obey (often followed byto ).

   Children don't always listen to their parents.

3. to wait attentively for a sound (usually followed byfor ).

   to listen for sounds of their return.

4. Informal. to convey a particular impression to the hearer; sound.

   The new recording doesn't listen as well as the old one.

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verb (used with object)

1. Archaic. to give ear to; hear.

verb phrase

1. listen in

   1. to listen to a radio or television broadcast.

      Listen in tomorrow for the names of the lottery winners.

   2. to overhear a conversation or communication, especially by telephone; eavesdrop.

      Someone was listening in to his private calls.

listen British  

/ ˈlɪsən /

verb

1. to concentrate on hearing something

2. to take heed; pay attention

   I told you many times but you wouldn't listen

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Related Words

See hear.

Other Word Forms

• listener noun
• relisten verb
• unlistening adjective

Etymology

Origin of listen

First recorded before 950; Middle English lis(t)nen, Old English hlysnan; cognate with Middle High German lüsenen, Swedish lyssna; akin to list ⁵

Example Sentences

I grew up listening to the cast album.

From Los Angeles Times

Most of his classmates, himself included, preferred to listen to hip-hop back then.

From Los Angeles Times

I don’t think we’ll ever want to stop watching human beings or listening to human stories told by humans, starring humans, music made by humans, paintings painted by humans.

From Los Angeles Times

You can listen to the interview in full on BBC Sounds.

From BBC

Smart glasses enable the wearer to access information and apps similar to those on a smart phone including using maps, listening to music, and recording video.

From BBC

Related Words

• accept
• admit
• attend
• get
• observe
• take notice
• tune in