as in to listen
to pay attention especially through the act of hearing
young people would do well to read this wise and witty book and harken to its message
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Recent Examples of harken
Stewart stepped out with choppy baby bangs and wavy, shoulder-length hair in her natural shade of brunette that harkens back to her Twilight days.
—
Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Its old-school cream accents harken back to the decal patterns Honda boasted on its CB models of the 1960s and 1970s.
—New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
The accompanying video, directed by Charlotte Rutherford, fittingly harkens back to videos of the same era, as Puth embarks on a goofy adventure through a pre-digital world filled with charming claymation figurines and old-school stop motion effects.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
But from the outside, this level of cultish reverence for a rock band in 2025 feels both new and nostalgic, harkening back to the days when such bands ruled the world.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harken
Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Its old-school cream accents harken back to the decal patterns Honda boasted on its CB models of the 1960s and 1970s.
—New Atlas, 17 Oct. 2025
The accompanying video, directed by Charlotte Rutherford, fittingly harkens back to videos of the same era, as Puth embarks on a goofy adventure through a pre-digital world filled with charming claymation figurines and old-school stop motion effects.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Oct. 2025
But from the outside, this level of cultish reverence for a rock band in 2025 feels both new and nostalgic, harkening back to the days when such bands ruled the world.
—Mackenzie Cummings-Grady, Billboard, 14 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for harken
Recent Examples of Synonyms for harken
Verb
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For English language arts, which includes reading, writing, speaking and listening, the district came one percentage point shy of the state average, with 49% of students meeting their individualized growth targets.—
Dmitry Martirosov,
Arkansas Online,
12 Nov. 2025
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Mormons should not be afraid to listen to people that had bad experiences.—
Justin Ravitz,
USA Today,
11 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Expect to continue hearing rumors about Swinney moving forward this season.—
Evan Massey,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Nov. 2025
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Prosecutors said Raleigh walked outside his home after hearing Chastain throwing rocks at his garage.—
Rosalio Ahumada,
Sacbee.com,
11 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Harken.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/harken. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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