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

Whatever the band’s reception at the time, zillennials look nostalgically on Sigh No More the way their older siblings did the early Coldplay albums; maybe Sigh led listeners to more sophisticated folk and bluegrass, or at least a cursory viewing of O Brother, Where Art Thou. —Hannah Jocelyn, Pitchfork, 20 Feb. 2026

On Luck…or Something, Duff gives listeners a front row seat to the therapy sessions, marital tensions, mid-drive anxiety spirals, and fraught walks down memory lane that make up life for many a 30-something. —Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 20 Feb. 2026

But being on the outside has also forced the two men to reconsider the why of the US’ foreign policy, in a way that could resonate with listeners unconcerned with the intricacies of semiconductor sanctions or energy markets. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 20 Feb. 2026

Instead, Steele's music is driven by connection, when a listener feels understood, emotionally moved, or comforted by a song. —Maria Williams, USA Today, 20 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above