Definitions for listen
ˈlɪs ənlis·ten

Princeton's WordNet(1.25 / 4 votes)Rate this definition:

1. listen(verb)

   hear with intention

   "Listen to the sound of this cello"

2. listen, hear, take heed(verb)

   listen and pay attention

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

3. heed, mind, listen(verb)

   pay close attention to; give heed to

   "Heed the advice of the old men"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. listen(Verb)

   To pay attention to a sound, to note.

   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.

2. listen(Verb)

   To wait for a sound, such as a signal.

   You should listen for the starting gun.

   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.

3. listen(Verb)

   To accept or obey oral instruction.

   Good children listen to their parents.

   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.

4. listen(Verb)

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

   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.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Listen(verb)

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

2. Listen(verb)

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

3. Listen(verb)

   to attend to

Freebase(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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 Contribution(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

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  

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

Anagrams for listen »

1. enlist, inlets, leints, silent, tinsel

2. Enlist

3. Inlets

4. Leints

5. Silent

6. Tinsel

How to pronounce listen?

1. 

   Alex

   US English

   

   Daniel

   British

   

   Karen

   Australian

   

   Veena

   Indian

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. Val Kalei Kanuha:

   Just let people share and talk and ask for what they need, and then Katie Ray-Jones can figure out if Katie Ray-Jones can help them, the best place to start is just to listen.

2. Mehmet Murat ildan:

   When the wisdom speaks, be quite and listen! When the stupidity speaks, stand up and leave!

3. Lennon Lacy:

   I look for him and I don't see him. I listen for him and I don't hear him.

4. Rick Santorum:

   I'm very familiar with the law, Chris, because I passed it, i wrote the partial-birth abortion statute and if you listen to the tapes, and you look at what the procedures are, they are doing just that.

5. Michael Zehaf-Bibeau:

   ?To those who are involved and listen to this movie, this is in retaliation for Afghanistan and because (Canadian Prime Minister Stephen) Harper wants to send his troops to Iraq, so we are retaliating, the Mujahedin of this world ... just aiming to hit some soldiers just to show that you're not even safe in your own land, and you gotta be careful.

Images & Illustrations of listen

Popularity rank by frequency of use