listen
Americanverb (used without object)
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to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.
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to pay attention; heed; obey (often followed byto ).
Children don't always listen to their parents.
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to wait attentively for a sound (usually followed byfor ).
to listen for sounds of their return.
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Informal. to convey a particular impression to the hearer; sound.
The new recording doesn't listen as well as the old one.
verb (used with object)
verb phrase
verb
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to concentrate on hearing something
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to take heed; pay attention
I told you many times but you wouldn't listen
Synonym Usage
See hear.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has listenedperfect 3rd person singular
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have listenedperfect
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have been listeningperfect progressive
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am listeningprogressive 1st person singular
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is listeningprogressive 3rd person singular
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listeningparticiple
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has been listeningperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are listeningprogressive
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listenssingular 3rd person
Past
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had listenedperfect
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had been listeningperfect progressive
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was listeningprogressive singular
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listenedparticiple
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were listeningprogressive plural
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listenedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of listen
First recorded before 950; Middle English lis(t)nen, Old English hlysnan; cognate with Middle High German lüsenen, Swedish lyssna; akin to list 5
Explanation
If you really listen late at night after everyone's asleep, you'll hear the noises your house makes — the creaking of walls and floors, the hum of the refrigerator, the banging of the radiators. When you listen to something, you don't just hear it, but you really pay attention to the sounds. You can listen to music, listen for the sound of your guests arriving, or listen to the advice your grandfather gives you. The phrase listen in means to eavesdrop on, or deliberately overhear, a conversation. The t in the middle of the word listen is silent (you can't hear it even if you listen).
Vocabulary lists containing listen
Mother's Day Words: What Mothers Do
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Part 1 Vocabulary (Unit 3)
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Spelling Practice, Unit 7
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Well, I listen to people’s critiques, and they’re welcome to them.
From Salon • Jun. 15, 2026
Concert organizers said they felt a goal of the musicians, performing so near Ike’s old house, was to play as if he could still somehow listen.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026
"I've said it, and I hope you guys will listen to me but he's a Top 3 MVP candidate," Brown said.
From Barron's • Jun. 14, 2026
"You guys need to start telling festivals what bands you want to listen to, if enough people want this artist at a festival they get booked for it."
From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026
In the end it was just too painful to listen anymore to the radio, so we didn’t.
From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
