listen
verb (used without object)
to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.
was listening
-
past progressiveof listen.past progressive
Used to describe an ongoing action or continuous state that was happening at a specific time in the past.
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.
“We’d have Pasta Day, and I was listening to Italian music,” she says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2026
Putin was listening to Sisi through an interpretation headset clipped to his ear, while his eyes scanned the crowd.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
As for the specifics of what he will say, some of it will be very familiar to anyone who was listening to his conference fringe speech 12 months ago.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
Even in death, though, no one was listening to Helaena.
From Salon ● Aug. 12, 2026
Doctor Baker was listening with great interest, but when Maxim had finished he shook his head.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
