listen

American

[lis-uhn] / ˈlɪs ən /

verb (used without object)

to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.
to pay attention; heed; obey (often followed byto ).

Children don't always listen to their parents.
to wait attentively for a sound (usually followed byfor ).

to listen for sounds of their return.
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)

Archaic. to give ear to; hear.

verb phrase

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

to concentrate on hearing something
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.

Spotify Wrapped only represents the culmination of our listening habits on a single music platform, but every shared Wrapped post seems to come with some self-evident clarity about our personal identity.

From Los Angeles Times

"I do the times tables in the car, I listen to them read. And if it doesn't make sense, I say, 'read that again'," he said.

From BBC

Mostly what we try to do is treat them respectfully and listen to them and listen to their ideas.

From Los Angeles Times

She pauses to listen more intently as a dispatcher relays information about a person who thinks they’re being followed by a federal agent.

From Los Angeles Times

“Please listen to emergency officials, stay tuned to local warnings, and have a safe holiday.”

From Los Angeles Times

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023