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

The pitches climb higher and grow purer as the music takes the listener closer to the binary system. —Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 Nov. 2023

Featured in the course are Poehler’s 9 principles of improv: Keep saying yes; be a good listener; find your team; finding the game; take up space; can’t be halfway in; don’t bail on your partners; don’t worry about being cool; playing with status. —Anna Tingley, Variety, 21 Nov. 2023

Throughout its 12 tracks, Black Mona Lisa takes listeners on a journey influenced by an era when house, disco, and dance music reigned supreme. —Okla Jones, Essence, 18 Nov. 2023

This reggaetón groove, pulsating with a suspenseful edge, lures listeners into a sonic escapade, complete with minimal sliding bass that hints at a drill essence near the end. —Jessica Roiz, Billboard, 17 Nov. 2023

And then arranging, composing, voracious listener to things. —Steve Baltin, Forbes, 12 Nov. 2023

Lautner and Dome Lautner's The Squeeze podcast is a branch of the company dedicated to help inform listeners about mental health. —Brenton Blanchet, Peoplemag, 11 Nov. 2023

Now he’s set his sights on reaching listeners beyond the Arabic-speaking world while still emphasizing genuine Arabic sounds and rhythms in ways that push the culture forward. —Danny Hajjar, New York Times, 10 Nov. 2023

New Blue Sun isn’t the rap album many listeners might have expected André 3000 to return with. —Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 14 Nov. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above