Synonyms

listen

American

[lis-uhn] / ˈlɪs ən /

verb (used without object)

to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear.
to pay attention; heed; obey (often followed byto ).

Children don't always listen to their parents.
to wait attentively for a sound (usually followed byfor ).

to listen for sounds of their return.
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)

Archaic. to give ear to; hear.

verb phrase

listen in
1. to listen to a radio or television broadcast.
  
  Listen in tomorrow for the names of the lottery winners.
2. to overhear a conversation or communication, especially by telephone; eavesdrop.
  
  Someone was listening in to his private calls.

listen British

/ ˈlɪsən /

verb

to concentrate on hearing something
to take heed; pay attention

I told you many times but you wouldn't listen

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Synonym Usage

See hear.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

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).

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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.

But listen carefully to his interview with Chris Mason yesterday.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

Congress knows better than we do, and we should listen to them.

From Slate • Jun. 11, 2026

The real disclosure of “Disclosure Day” turns out to be our own inability to listen: how everyone gets so wrapped up in themselves they often miss the larger picture.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 11, 2026

Reasons to look for a new adviser include failure to listen, high fees, the adviser’s retirement, poor communication, disappointing performance, different values, ineffective advice and bad rapport, according to this survey by Financial Advisor Magazine.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 11, 2026

He alternates between sitting on my lap to listen and running around with a few other kids.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023