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:
His late father, Peter, was recruited as a listener after fleeing Germany where he was detained in Buchenwald concentration camp.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 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
On Wilkins’ program, Valerie Coleman’s dark “Fanfare for Uncommon Times” brought a listener inside brass and percussion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026
And then “San Marcos el Fin” gently escorts the listener out of this particular room.
From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026
His father was a good listener: he did not interrupt, and he believed what he heard.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
The comedian reassured listeners that she and Segura were amicable and that there was no need to take sides.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
Downstairs in the basement, a team of covert listeners followed their chatter, gleaning vital insights into Germany's war plans.
From Barron's ● Aug. 5, 2026
“This agreement with Merlin ensures participating artists are credited and compensated, and that every creation drives listeners back to the original work,” Charlie Hellman, Spotify’s global head of music, said in a statement.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026
Earlier this year, podcaster Tim Ferriss called Aschenbrenner “the Nostradamus of AI,” telling listeners that his viral paper was “as close to clairvoyant as you could possibly be.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
Sometimes it got a little tough for the listeners to maintain strict attention, but they did their best, since Buttercup loved him so completely.
From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman
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.
