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 plot thickened when said bidder turned out to be hedge fund founder Martin Shkreli, who turned himself into one of America’s supervillains soon after buying the right to become the album’s sole owner and possibly sole listener. —Chris Willman, Variety, 23 Jan. 2026

StateImpact Oklahoma is a partnership of Oklahoma’s public radio stations which relies on contributions from readers and listeners to fulfill its mission of public service to Oklahoma and beyond. —Chloe Bennett-Steele, StateImpact, 23 Jan. 2026

The series places real relationships inside real sessions, without scripts or guarantees, and allows listeners to witness what happens when people stay present through discomfort. —Jennifer Jay Palumbo, Forbes.com, 22 Jan. 2026

In her car, Jessica Gabriel’s Lady is an avid listener of DJ Revolution, a fictional radio DJ who lectures passionately about the struggles of modern-day life in Nigeria. —Zac Ntim, Deadline, 22 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above