Idiom idiom
listen up
Meaning
To listen closely; to pay attention.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“Listen up, I have an important announcement.”
“The coach told the team to listen up before they started the final play.”
“The professor paused to ensure the students would listen up, as the upcoming lecture contained the most critical information for the final exam.”
Origin
first recorded 20th c. disputed origin
first recorded 20th c. disputed origin
From *listen* + *up*, the phrase first appears c. 1933, though the exact date of its first use remains uncertain. The construction combines the verb with a particle to command attention, a functional addition to the lexicon that is recorded as having arrived in the early twentieth century.
Anchors to
Last updated August 10, 2026