listener

noun

lis·​ten·​er ˈli-sᵊn-ər 

ˈlis-nər

plural listeners

: one who listens to someone or something

a radio program with many listeners

a friend who's a good listener [=who listens attentively and sympathetically]

Fanny, being always a very courteous listener, and often the only listener at hand, came in for the complaints and distresses of most of them.

—Jane Austen

The average concertgoer drifts in and out of the music, often losing the thread. The listener can't always hear the music in the music, and tends to notice only the most obvious (usually the loudest) events.

—David Schiff

Examples of listener in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Still, Marvin Alexander said the impact their music has on listeners makes the sacrifices worthwhile. —Mars Salazar, Austin American Statesman, 6 Feb. 2026

How should listeners think about the defense of democracy? —Anne Applebaum, The Atlantic, 6 Feb. 2026

Choosing our words carefully is vital, for our listeners and ourselves. —Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026

That’s when his Latin urban music tracks on SoundCloud first began earning him millions of listeners. —Nicole Acevedo, NBC news, 6 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above