listened; listening
ˈli-sᵊn-iŋ 
ˈlis-niŋ
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
archaic
: to give ear to : hear
Examples of listen in a Sentence
Verb
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 on the Web
Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023
So, should Gen-Z and millennials listen to these dating trends?
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 25 Sep. 2023
To listen to this profile, press the play button below:
Approximately 50,000 people move to New York City every year with a dollar and a dream.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2023
Upholstered sofas and chairs encourage a relaxed and laid-back place to hang out and listen to your favorite grunge bands (on a turntable, of course).
—Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Sep. 2023
Members of Congress listen as President Biden delivers his State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023
At a Barrio Logan Community Planning Group meeting last month, New Leaf’s chief executive listened to the roughly 75 residents who’d shown up to express concerns.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
Instead, Sole-Smith suggests doing your best to listen to them without judgment, and to keep encouraging them to think critically about how diet talk affects them and their friends.
—Christine Byrne, Mph, SELF, 22 Sep. 2023
Asked about the government’s efforts to suppress any protest activity ahead of the anniversary, Raisi said that his government was ready to listen to genuine protesters but would not tolerate attempts to destabilize the country.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 16 Sep. 2023
Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 6 Sep. 2023
But the more successful ones learn to hire very smart people, and the most successful listen to those very smart people.
—Anonymous, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up The participants of the Tanglewood Relay Run listen to instructions inside Symphony Hall before the start on Friday.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2023
In an exclusive first listen ahead of Wednesday’s episode, Clinton shares his early aspirations of becoming a musician with Team Supreme and pays homage to the greats that inspired him throughout his career.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2023
Andrew Unterberger: The soundtrack is a very fun and fairly coherent listen front to back — not every song is a gem, but every song keeps the momentum up, and a handful of tracks do feel like real hits.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 3 Aug. 2023
Dissatisfied clients like Muse and Slipknot, among other major players, have spoken of being left to record with a lowly engineer for a week, before Rick returns for a listen, nods, and leaves without any real interaction.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 14 June 2023
Take a listen to today’s roundup of new releases below.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 21 July 2023
The single is the initial listen from their upcoming fifth studio album, Bigger Houses, out Sept. 15 via Warner Music Nashville.
—Carita Rizzo, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2023
See More
Verb
Kemp listened to The Ticket growing up with his dad driving to and from basketball practice, before getting his break after interning for the station in 2003.
—Jeff Stein, Washington Post, 25 Sep. 2023
So, should Gen-Z and millennials listen to these dating trends?
—Dominique Fluker, Essence, 25 Sep. 2023
To listen to this profile, press the play button below:
Approximately 50,000 people move to New York City every year with a dollar and a dream.
—Amy Kaufman, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2023
Upholstered sofas and chairs encourage a relaxed and laid-back place to hang out and listen to your favorite grunge bands (on a turntable, of course).
—Sharon Greenthal, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Sep. 2023
Members of Congress listen as President Biden delivers his State of the Union address at the Capitol on Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.
—Caitlin Yilek, CBS News, 22 Sep. 2023
At a Barrio Logan Community Planning Group meeting last month, New Leaf’s chief executive listened to the roughly 75 residents who’d shown up to express concerns.
—Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Sep. 2023
Instead, Sole-Smith suggests doing your best to listen to them without judgment, and to keep encouraging them to think critically about how diet talk affects them and their friends.
—Christine Byrne, Mph, SELF, 22 Sep. 2023
Asked about the government’s efforts to suppress any protest activity ahead of the anniversary, Raisi said that his government was ready to listen to genuine protesters but would not tolerate attempts to destabilize the country.
—Yuliya Talmazan, NBC News, 16 Sep. 2023
Noun
Take a listen to the new version of the song below.
—Adrianna Freedman, Good Housekeeping, 6 Sep. 2023
But the more successful ones learn to hire very smart people, and the most successful listen to those very smart people.
—Anonymous, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Aug. 2023
Enter Email Sign Up The participants of the Tanglewood Relay Run listen to instructions inside Symphony Hall before the start on Friday.
—Globe Staff, BostonGlobe.com, 2 July 2023
In an exclusive first listen ahead of Wednesday’s episode, Clinton shares his early aspirations of becoming a musician with Team Supreme and pays homage to the greats that inspired him throughout his career.
—Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 27 June 2023
Andrew Unterberger: The soundtrack is a very fun and fairly coherent listen front to back — not every song is a gem, but every song keeps the momentum up, and a handful of tracks do feel like real hits.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 3 Aug. 2023
Dissatisfied clients like Muse and Slipknot, among other major players, have spoken of being left to record with a lowly engineer for a week, before Rick returns for a listen, nods, and leaves without any real interaction.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 14 June 2023
Take a listen to today’s roundup of new releases below.
—Okla Jones, Essence, 21 July 2023
The single is the initial listen from their upcoming fifth studio album, Bigger Houses, out Sept. 15 via Warner Music Nashville.
—Carita Rizzo, Rolling Stone, 14 July 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'listen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Verb and Noun
Middle English listnen, from Old English hlysnan; akin to Sanskrit śroṣati he hears, Old English hlūd loud
First Known Use
Verb
before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense
Noun
1788, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of listen was
before the 12th century
Phrases Containing listen
Dictionary Entries Near listen
Cite this Entry
“Listen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listen. Accessed 28 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
listen
verb
lis·ten
ˈlis-ᵊn
listened; listening
ˈlis-niŋ,
-ᵊn-iŋ
1
: to pay attention in order to hear
listen for a signal
listen to a new CD
2
: to give heed : follow advice
listen to a warning
listener
noun
ˈlis-nər
-ᵊn-ər
More from Merriam-Webster on listen
Nglish: Translation of listen for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of listen for Arabic Speakers
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