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
: 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
Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 26 Nov. 2025
His hobbies include reading, listening to music and going on long, winding adventures on his road bike.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Nov. 2025
Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Nov. 2025
Give those songs a listen below.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for listen
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Verb
This further enhances these electrostatic speakers' ability to mimic the experience of listening to music in a large hall.
—Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 26 Nov. 2025
His hobbies include reading, listening to music and going on long, winding adventures on his road bike.
—Arkansas Online, 26 Nov. 2025
Noun
And then hopefully, eventually, that piece of work can become something that can just exists as a part of people’s lives that doesn’t always have to be a heavy listen.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 17 Nov. 2025
Give those songs a listen below.
—Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 6 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for listen
Cite this Entry
“Listen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listen. Accessed 1 Dec. 2025.
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