LISTENING Synonyms: 12 Similar and Opposite Words

listening

verb

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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 That preoccupation may mean the child has a more difficult time listening to their fullness cues when presented with those foods. — Bryn Beeder, The Conversation, 1 Nov. 2026 Part of the impetus for Arnault was listening to those who came before him. — Paige Reddinger, Robb Report, 1 Nov. 2026 In 1985 two young men in Nevada shot themselves after a night of drinking, smoking marijuana, and listening to the band’s music; one of the men survived for a few more years but was severely disfigured. — Jordana Rosenfeld, Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Oct. 2026 After months of listening to this discourse, Wilson made a statement by knocking down seven 3-pointers in his summer league debut. — Julia Poe, Chicago Tribune, 30 Oct. 2026 Afterward, at home, his friends gathered in Brody’s bedroom, listening to music and mourning him. — Brittany Wallman, Miami Herald, 30 Oct. 2026 Elijah Lee has spent years listening to Virginia lawmakers talk about data centers. — Sasha Tuddenham, Fortune, 29 Oct. 2026 To anyone listening closely to what Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has been saying over the past couple of years, this week felt like the clearest sign yet that AI is about to fundamentally change the size of Microsoft’s workforce. — Tom Warren, The Verge, 29 Oct. 2026 Knight said his faith has been a constant in his life, growing up in the Episcopal Church listening to his father preach every Sunday in Easthampton, Massachusetts. — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 22 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for listening

hearing

Verb

Yes, the Gamecocks are certainly playing with a much bigger chip on their shoulder after hearing the naysayers rightfully create enough noise across the country to be heard in Columbia.

— Trey Wallace OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 Oct. 2026
In her first sketch, Navarrette and Hernandez played the ghost of a couple of 1930s kids on the Queen Mary who keep distracting a tourist from hearing where another ghost’s treasure is hidden.

— Glenn Garner, Deadline, 31 Oct. 2026