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 result was less an album than a public airing of heartbreak, with listeners positioned as witnesses to the band’s beautiful, messy implosion. —Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE, 12 Nov. 2025

While some listeners hypothesized that the new single was about Madden, Richie's post proved there was no bad blood. —Anna Kaufman, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025

Verse two brought the listener inside the cab, where the singer wrestles with the love songs on the radio and fears that a text message will undermine his determination. —Tom Roland, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025

The mix of new and old appeals to a range of listeners, but Peterson is especially interested in the youth movement around physical media. —Noah Lyons, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above