listened; listening
ˈli-sᵊn-iŋ 
ˈlis-niŋ
1
: to pay attention to sound
listen to music
2
: to hear something with thoughtful attention : give consideration
listen to a plea
3
: to be alert to catch an expected sound
listen for his step
archaic
: to give ear to : hear
Examples of listen in a Sentence
Verb
I listened as hard as I could, but I couldn't hear a word of what he said over all that noise.
She listened with interest as he told her about his travels.
She tried to warn him of the dangers, but he wouldn't listen.
Recent Examples on the Web
Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024
Watt, who recently published a book about the experiences of African American symphony players, listened to the discussion on social justice in young adult novels.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
People loved to listen to Pryor speak, said former state Democratic chairman Vince Insalaco.
—Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024
Music opinions are no longer slow-cooked over the course of multiple trips (and Walkman listens) on the 1 train.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
That was my initial reaction after listening to her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which dropped at midnight on Friday.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 19 Apr. 2024
For artists looking to promote their music, this means a whole song is often too much for viewers to consume — even listening to a chorus can be too much to ask these days.
—Howard Murphy, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
Whether that be walking away from a house in the morning in tears listening to your colicky baby screaming for you, going back to work sometimes doubled over in pain, pumping in the back of storage closets delirious without sleep, the total panic of losing childcare.
—Dawn Huckelbridge, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2024
For those unable to make it out to the desert in person, YouTube is introducing a new multiview concert experience, allowing fans around the world to watch up to four of six available live stream stages on their TVs at once while listening to the audio of their choice.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
Spotify reports that songstress Tiera Kennedy experienced a 40,000 percent increase in catalog listens and 110% uptick in first-time streams.
—Rivea Ruff, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024
Here are seven things that stand out on first listen.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2024
Taylor Wilson: Here's a listen to those comments Trevor referenced from President Joe Biden.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
These are financial metrics, so no downloads, listens, subscriber numbers are excepted.
—Jesse Silvertown, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
If a listen to Musgraves’s new album, Deeper Well, is anything to go by, Musgraves has been in a bucolic, yogurt-and-berries mood lately.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2024
The Outsiders is jumping from the page to the stage for an electric new Broadway musical — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first listen and music-video premiere at one of its most poignant songs.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
Some publishers like Macmillan told writers that royalty payments will only apply for each full listen of their book, according to Bloomberg — one person listening to a full 10-hour-long audiobook or two people each listening to five hours, for example.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2024
Verb
During the news conference, those listening let out an audible ― and heartbreaking — gasp as the sheriff identified the dead children as brother and sister.
—Frank Witsil, Detroit Free Press, 21 Apr. 2024
Watt, who recently published a book about the experiences of African American symphony players, listened to the discussion on social justice in young adult novels.
—Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
People loved to listen to Pryor speak, said former state Democratic chairman Vince Insalaco.
—Frank E. Lockwood, arkansasonline.com, 20 Apr. 2024
Music opinions are no longer slow-cooked over the course of multiple trips (and Walkman listens) on the 1 train.
—C. Brandon Ogbunu, WIRED, 19 Apr. 2024
That was my initial reaction after listening to her eleventh studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, which dropped at midnight on Friday.
—Stephanie McNeal, Glamour, 19 Apr. 2024
For artists looking to promote their music, this means a whole song is often too much for viewers to consume — even listening to a chorus can be too much to ask these days.
—Howard Murphy, Rolling Stone, 9 Apr. 2024
Whether that be walking away from a house in the morning in tears listening to your colicky baby screaming for you, going back to work sometimes doubled over in pain, pumping in the back of storage closets delirious without sleep, the total panic of losing childcare.
—Dawn Huckelbridge, Glamour, 9 Apr. 2024
For those unable to make it out to the desert in person, YouTube is introducing a new multiview concert experience, allowing fans around the world to watch up to four of six available live stream stages on their TVs at once while listening to the audio of their choice.
—Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 9 Apr. 2024
Noun
For such a heavy emotional lift, the album is an easygoing listen, perfect for a Sunday-afternoon drive.
—Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 10 Apr. 2024
Spotify reports that songstress Tiera Kennedy experienced a 40,000 percent increase in catalog listens and 110% uptick in first-time streams.
—Rivea Ruff, Essence, 1 Apr. 2024
Here are seven things that stand out on first listen.
—Shaad D’souza, Pitchfork, 29 Mar. 2024
Taylor Wilson: Here's a listen to those comments Trevor referenced from President Joe Biden.
—Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 27 Mar. 2024
These are financial metrics, so no downloads, listens, subscriber numbers are excepted.
—Jesse Silvertown, Forbes, 21 Feb. 2024
If a listen to Musgraves’s new album, Deeper Well, is anything to go by, Musgraves has been in a bucolic, yogurt-and-berries mood lately.
—Liam Hess, Vogue, 16 Mar. 2024
The Outsiders is jumping from the page to the stage for an electric new Broadway musical — and PEOPLE has the exclusive first listen and music-video premiere at one of its most poignant songs.
—Dave Quinn, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
Some publishers like Macmillan told writers that royalty payments will only apply for each full listen of their book, according to Bloomberg — one person listening to a full 10-hour-long audiobook or two people each listening to five hours, for example.
—Mia Sato, The Verge, 1 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'listen.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near listen
Cite this Entry
“Listen.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listen. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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