Definitions for Listen
ˈlɪs ənlis·ten

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:1.3 / 4 votes

1. listenverb

   hear with intention

   "Listen to the sound of this cello"

2. listen, hear, take heedverb

   listen and pay attention

   "Listen to your father"; "We must hear the expert before we make a decision"

3. heed, mind, listenverb

   pay close attention to; give heed to

   "Heed the advice of the old men"

WiktionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. listenverb

   To pay attention to a sound, to note.

2. listenverb

   To wait for a sound, such as a signal.

   You should listen for the starting gun.

3. listenverb

   To accept or obey oral instruction.

   Good children listen to their parents.

4. listenverb

   To hear (something or someone), to pay attention to.

5. Etymology: From listnen, from hlysnan, from *hlusinon (compare lüstern, luisteren and lauschen), from ḱlew-. Akin to rochluiniur 'I hear', clueo, κλαίω, κλέος, լամ, degjoj, from ant. glôj, glûej, слути, слѹшати, klausau 'to hear', Middle Persian, श्रु. More at loud.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. To Listenverb

   To hear; to attend. Obsolete.

   Lady, vouchsafe to listen what I say. William Shakespeare.

   One cried, God bless us! and, amen! the other;
   As they had seen me with these hangman’s hands,
   Listening their fear I could not say, amen. William Shakespeare.

   He, that no more must say, is listened more
   Than they whom youth and ease have taught to glose. William Shakespeare, Richard II.

   The wonted roar was up amidst the woods,
   And filled the air with barbarous dissonance,
   At which I ceas’d and listen’d them a while. John Milton.

2. To Listenverb

   To hearken; to give attention.

   Listen to me, and if you speak me fair,
   I’ll tell you news. William Shakespeare, Taming of the Shrew.

   Antigonus used often to go disguised, and listen at the tents of his soldiers; and at a time heard some that spoke very ill of him: whereupon he said, If you speak ill of me, you should go a little farther off. Francis Bacon, Apophthegms.

   Listen, O isles, unto me, and hearken, ye people. Isa. xlix.

   When we have occasion to listen, and give a more particular attention to some sound, the tympanum is drawn to a more than ordinary tension. William Holder, Elements of Speech.

   On the green bank I sat, and listen’d long;
   Nor till her lay was ended could I move,
   But wish’d to dwell for ever in the grove. Dryden.

   He shall be receiv’d with more regard,
   And listen’d to, than modest truth is heard. Dryden.

   To this humour most of our late comedies owe their success: the audience listens after nothing else. Addison.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Listen

   Listen is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. The song was written by Beyoncé, Henry Krieger, Scott Cutler, and Anne Preven, and produced by The Underdogs, Matt Sullivan and Randy Spendlove for the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls, in which Beyoncé's character Deena Jones sings the song in an expression of independence from her controlling husband. Columbia Records released "Listen" as the lead single from the Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture soundtrack album on December 5, 2006. It additionally appeared as a hidden track on international editions, and on the deluxe edition of Beyoncé's second solo studio album, B'Day. The Spanish version of the song, "Oye", was released on the EP, Irreemplazable, and the Spanish deluxe edition of B'Day. One of four new songs written for the feature version of Dreamgirls (originally a 1981 Broadway musical), "Listen" is a soul-R&B song; its lyrics make reference to tenacity, love, the refusal to defer dreams and finally rise towards fame. Its instrumentation includes bass, drums, guitars, keyboards, percussion, and violins, among others. Contemporary music critics complimented the strong and emotional vocals of Beyoncé, and added that the lyrics perfectly elaborate on Deena Jones's life. "Listen" won Best Original Song at the 2007 Critics' Choice Awards. It was nominated in the same category at the 2006 International Press Academy Satellite Award, at the 2007 Golden Globe Awards for all songwriters, and at the 2007 Academy Awards, for songwriters Krieger, Cutler and Preven.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. listen

   Listening can be defined as the act of paying attention to and comprehending sounds, spoken words, or information conveyed through various forms of communication. It involves actively engaging with the speaker or audio source, receiving and interpreting the message being conveyed, and demonstrating understanding or providing appropriate responses if required. Effective listening requires focus, concentration, and a willingness to understand and empathize with the speaker's perspective or message.

2. Listen

   Listening is the act of paying close attention to auditory stimuli, whether it be verbal or non-verbal, in order to understand, interpret, and process information being communicated. It involves focusing on the speaker or audio source, being receptive to their message, and actively engaging in the process of comprehending and assimilating the conveyed information. Effective listening encompasses not only hearing the sounds but also understanding the meaning, intent, and emotions conveyed through speech or other auditory signals.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Listenverb

   to give close attention with the purpose of hearing; to give ear; to hearken; to attend

2. Listenverb

   to give heed; to yield to advice; to follow admonition; to obey

3. Listenverb

   to attend to

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Listen

   Listen is the third album by R&B singer TQ. It was released on August 31, 2004 in the United States and October 17, 2005 in the United Kingdom.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. listen

   To focus and hear what a person is saying or communicating.

   They did listen to each other respectfully.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on January 16, 2020  

2. ---

   listen

   To give attention, hear and remember what a person is saying.

   They did listen to each other respectfully.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on January 16, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Obey
   • Perceive

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Listen' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #2214

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Listen' in Written Corpus Frequency: #670

3. Verbs Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Listen' in Verbs Frequency: #191

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Anagrams for Listen »

1. enlist

2. inlets

3. leints

4. silent

5. tinsel

How to pronounce Listen?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Listen in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Listen in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Listen in Pythagorean Numerology is: 7

Examples of Listen in a Sentence

1. Andrew Schneider:

   Listen, can you hear it Spring's sweet cantata. The strains of grass pushing through the snow. The song of buds swelling on the vine. The tender timpani of a baby robin's heart. Spring.

2. Melinda Gates:

   We listen and respect each other and then we come to a common viewpoint and that's what we take forward.

3. Mark Coleridge:

   We make the pledge 'never again.' There will be no cover up. We will respond quickly to accusations, improve governance structure, be more transparent and we will listen, we know that only actions not words can rebuild trust, and until trust is rebuilt all the apologies in the world will miss the mark.

4. Sergii Lysenko:

   But then we heard another explosion in Kyiv, and I told her that wait, for sure, it's an explosion and it's some kind of missile or something. And we started to listen, to read the news. And we understood that the war started and that a Russian invasion is ongoing.

5. Damon Wayans:

   If you listen to them talk, they go, 'Well, the first time ...' The first time? Bitch, how many times did it happen? Just listen to what they're saying and some of them really [are] un-rape-able. I just look at them and go, 'You don't want that. Get out of here,'.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=Listen
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Listen
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=Listen
4. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listen
5. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
6. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Listen
7. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=Listen
8. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=Listen