Definitions for listen
ˈlɪs ənlis·ten

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

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"

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. listenverb

   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. listenverb

   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. listenverb

   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. listenverb

   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. 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

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  

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

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

   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. Villy Hansen:

   Listen to the quietness, it's very special. There are not many places where you can hear nothing. And look at the endless horizon.

2. Lindsey Vonn:

   I am not able make the turns necessary to compete the way I know I can. My body is broken beyond repair and it isn't letting me have the final season I dreamed of. My body is screaming at me to STOP and it's time for me to listen.

3. Maisie Squires:

   My back burnt like this as I was not aware of the heat that was directly on my back and also I have very fair skin, meaning I burn easily, if I had not of [sic] put sun cream on my back, it wouldve been so much worse, she continued. I just hope that people see how dangerous the sun actually is and hopefully my horrific mistake has been a big lesson to most people and also me myself. Squires has shared her story to Facebook, where her post has since gone viral with over 12,000 shares and 20,000 comments as of Saturday afternoon. The girls father, Dean Squires told The Sun that his daughters sunburn was much worse in real life and verifies that his daughter had been wearing sunscreen on the front and back of her body during the unfortunate snorkeling trip. She was wearing sun cream on front and back, hetold the outlet. Ive never seen as bad before. We know teenagers dont listen, but she was wearing cream and was still burnt. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Hopefully itll be a good warning to other people, Dean Squiresadded. Likewise, a spokespersonfor the British Association of Dermatologists recommended that swimmers and snorkelers wear protective clothing when spending long periods of time in the sun as an extra precaution against dangerous UV rays.

4. Rebecca Berry:

   Instead, actively listen to their concerns. Show understanding [ with phrases such as' I get this is hard' ] and validate their experience of the situation and feelings.

5. Pearl Bailey:

   To talk to someone who does not listen is enough to tense the devil.

Images & Illustrations of listen

Popularity rank by frequency of use