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

James is well known to millions of UK radio listeners via his BBC Radio 1 Breakfast show. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 10 Apr. 2025

Chanticleer’s Our American Journey (2002) saw the acclaimed a cappella choral group taking its listeners on an eclectic musical trip across America, through its history and a variety of musical genres. —Paul Grein, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2025

Some scientists, like phonetician and speech technology entrepreneur Caroline Henton, believed the solution lay in creating better female-sounding voices and argued that synthesized voices could challenge listener prejudices. —Sarah A. Bell, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025

The rising star — whose debut EP v.i.p - very important pony is out now — has garnered a cult fan base of over 560,000 monthly Spotify listeners and performed at iconic locations like Berlin's Berghain club and Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas. —Jack Irvin, People.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above