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

That’s important not only for reasons of legal liability but to ensure that podcasts — and their hosts — preserve the trust of their listeners. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Mar. 2026

Other songwriters might opt to wring notes of sadness from the whole squad getting hitched, but this one is winking at the listener, signifying the end of his seclusion in Europe and the embrace of fans who haven’t had an audience with him in a long time. —Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 6 Mar. 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. —Jillian Taylor, StateImpact, 6 Mar. 2026

The first verse came easy to both men, but Nielsen wanted to keep the second verse — and the heartbreak — abstract to allow listeners to project their own heartache on the song. —Josh Crutchmer, Rolling Stone, 5 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above