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:
He was a voracious reader and an even more voracious listener, for whom genre was of no concern.
From Salon ● Sep. 8, 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
The theatricality is so over the top that it can be heard as kitsch, but Shaboozey’s commanding voice and commitment to the material generally keep the listener on his side.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 4, 2026
Yet the age of technology and communication has also made music a much more open exchange between maker and listener.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
Ireland's Classic Hits Radio announced it was removing Sheeran's music from its playlists because of feedback from listeners who had expressed "disappointment and concern" over his US tour.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Macklemore was not top of mind for many listeners in any age group last week.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
KFI asked listeners to turn on their car headlights that day in tribute.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026
On the latest episode of ICYMI, host Kate Lindsay introduces listeners to the phenomenon of vertical microdramas, which are 90-second snippets of content chock-full of some of the most absurd plotlines you’ve ever seen.
From Slate ● Sep. 16, 2026
Your listeners aren’t finding their seats, putting down their forks, wrapping up a conversation, or whatever.
From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner
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.
