Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

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.

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
"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

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

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Ye offered to meet members of the community in person "to listen", adding: "I know words aren't enough - I'll have to show change through my actions. If you're open, I'm here."

From BBC • Apr. 7, 2026

He’s more interested in an even older gadget: a radio to listen to baseball games.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 6, 2026

Sometimes, people walking by would stop, listen and join in.

From Salon • Apr. 6, 2026

In his Palm Sunday homily, the Pope said God "does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war, but rejects them."

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

I walked up the washout about a hundred yards and stopped to listen.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

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.