listen

verb lis·ten \ ˈli-sᵊn \

Definition of listen

listened; listening play \ˈlis-niŋ, ˈli-sᵊn-iŋ\

transitive verb

archaic :to give ear to :hear

intransitive verb

1 :to pay attention to sound

listen to music

2 :to hear something with thoughtful attention :give consideration

listen to a plea

3 :to be alert to catch an expected sound

listen for his step

—

listener

play \ˈlis-nər, ˈli-sᵊn-ər\ noun

See listen defined for English-language learners

See listen defined for kids

Examples of listen in a Sentence

I listened as hard as I could, but I couldn't hear a word of what he said over all that noise.
She listened with interest as he told her about his travels.
She tried to warn him of the dangers, but he wouldn't listen.

Recent Examples of listen from the Web

Those differences of opinion persisted during interviews and listening sessions conducted during the federal review.

— jsonline.com, "Trust damaged between Milwaukee police and community, Department of Justice draft report says," 30 Aug. 2017
Pence is urging residents to continue to listen their state and local officials.

— Bloomberg.com, "Trump Campaign Urges Donations to Harvey Relief," 29 Aug. 2017
Kudos to him for listening and letting Daimon be cast accordingly https://t.co/sBVtAFZm8v Hellboy is the latest film to find itself at the center of a whitewashing controversy in the last 12 months.

— christopher rosen, PEOPLE.com, "Ed Skrein Leaves Hellboy Reboot After Whitewashing Controversy," 28 Aug. 2017
The crowd who came to drink and listen to a live band on a recent Friday night was so large, people were sitting on the redwood fencing bordering La Cosecha’s outdoor area.

— carla meyer, sacbee, "New restaurant in Cesar Chavez Plaza is doing its civic duty, but how’s the burrito?," 25 Aug. 2017
And what the public gave her was not consent to be governed, as the Britons notionally owe their monarchs, but something far more satisfying: The solace of being seen, being listened to, and, maybe, of being known.

— daniel d’addario, Time, "How Princess Diana Created a New Era of Celebrity," 25 Aug. 2017
Listen here: Taylor's new album is called Reputation (Get it?

— mehera bonner, Marie Claire, "Stop Everything and Listen to Taylor Swift's New Single "Look What You Made Me Do"," 25 Aug. 2017
Turns out, new moms are turning to their own mothers and grandmothers (understandably so!) and are receiving and listening to advice that conflicts with their pediatrician's.

— sarah schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "Many Moms Aren't Putting Babies to Sleep Correctly — And It's Risking Their Lives," 22 Aug. 2017
Congress needs to listen to those closest to Trump.

— jack moore, GQ, "Anonymous White House Advisers Have Accidentally Made the Best Case for Removing Trump From Office," 21 Aug. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'listen.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of listen

Middle English listnen, from Old English hlysnan; akin to Sanskrit śroṣati he hears, Old English hlūd loud

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

listen Synonyms

Synonyms

attend, hark, harken, hear, hearken, heed, mind, prick up one's ears

Antonyms

ignore, tune out

Near Antonyms

discount, disregard

listen

noun

Definition of listen

:an act of listening

See listen defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of listen from the Web

The tapes were exhumed, and Pescovitz and Daly, along with Tim Ferris, the producer of the Golden Record and Pescovitz’s former graduate school adviser, flew to New York to take a listen at Sony’s studios.

— marina koren, The Atlantic, "Forty Years Later, the Golden Record Goes Vinyl," 25 Aug. 2017
Give the latest episode a listen: Never miss a local story.

— scott canon, kansascity, "Deep Background: Computer smarts from a smart computer guy," 16 Aug. 2017
Anyway, only an eclectic would even give a listen to today’s tune.

— paul daugherty, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati Reds LHP Brandon Finnegan's injury begs an easy question and a hard one," 27 June 2017
But the near unrelenting pace, with guitars amplified like 747s and evergreen singer Robin Zander, 64, riding atop, makes for an exhausting listen.

— howard cohen, miamiherald, "Can ’70s classic rockers recapture their signature sound in their 70s?," 25 June 2017
Take a listen to the fun, bubbly tune in the video above—

— lauren matthews, Country Living, "Noah Cyrus Just Released a Country Song—and She Sounds Exactly Like Miley," 26 May 2017
So grab a chicken leg and deck yourself out in Ren Faire garb, put on those headphones, and take a listen to this week’s In the Limelight episode.

— josh duboff, Vanities, "Meghan Markle Watched Prince Harry Play Polo For An Entire Weekend: An In-Depth Analysis," 11 May 2017
So take a seat at the hottest nightclub in the city, turn your back to Madonna, pop in your ear buds, and take a listen to this week’s In the Limelight episode.

— josh duboff, vanityfair.com, "So Rihanna, Madonna, Kendall Jenner, and the Olsen Twins Walked Into A Club . . .," 3 May 2017
During Tuesday's listen session, only a handful of callers said EPA regulations were too strict.

— michael biesecker, chicagotribune.com, "EPA asks what rules to cut, gets earful about dirty water," 2 May 2017

Origin and Etymology of listen

see ¹listen

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1788

See Words from the same year

LISTEN Defined for English Language Learners

listen

verb

Definition of listen for English Language Learners

: to pay attention to someone or something in order to hear what is being said, sung, played, etc.
—used to tell a person to listen to what you are saying
: to hear what someone has said and understand that it is serious, important, or true