listening

Definition of listeningnext
present participle of listen
as in hearing
to pay attention especially through the act of hearing would you listen to what I have to say?

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of listening Even as Trump sought, at least publicly, to de-escalate the war, Israel and Iran weren’t listening. Sudarsan Raghavan, New Yorker, 25 Mar. 2026 Educating the listening public and advertisers that the stations will be fundamentally the same once CBS is gone will require some effort. Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2026 The close up and the ability to show who’s listening is a huge change with the play, making for a much more emotional journey. John Hopewell, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026 Thanks for listening to Compound Interest from Semafor Business. Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 24 Mar. 2026 The purists will insist that Babe Ruth is rolling in his grave, while the game’s youngest fans probably aren’t listening to them with so many other options for entertainment. Abbey Mastracco, Hartford Courant, 23 Mar. 2026 Colleen Apicella, of Palm Beach Gardens, grew up listening to the Stones in Irvington, New Jersey. Ben Crandell, Sun Sentinel, 23 Mar. 2026 Other examples include trying a podcast series that’s just dropped; listening to each episode and checking in once you’ve both finished can be a fun way to keep in touch. Rebecca Fearn, SELF, 17 Mar. 2026 Putting an exclamation point on that thought with a scene of Carol yelling at a group of joggers to get out of the way while listening to a self-motivation audiobook makes her character assassination feel heavy-handed this early on in the seven-episode run. Andy Andersen, Vulture, 16 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for listening
hearing
Verb
  • When hearing terms related to accidents and crimes — victim, killed, confessed — a tiny patch above the left ear blazed with activity.
    Eric Boodman, Vulture, 25 Mar. 2026
  • Llanes also testified about Forti’s texts after hearing about Le’s overdose.
    Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 25 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Listening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/listening. Accessed 29 Mar. 2026.

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