Word
listen
Phoneticslis·ten, stress on the first syllable
US/ˈɫɪsən/
UK/lˈɪsən/
Definitions
01to pay attention to sound
A1 · Beginner
v. to pay attention to a sound or to someone who is speaking.
v. to make a conscious effort to hear and attend to a sound or speaker. Intransitive in form and requires the preposition 'to' before an object.
Español:escuchar
“Please listen to the teacher while she explains the new rules.”
“The researchers spent hours in the field, forced to listen intently for the specific call of the rare bird amidst the forest noise.”
Usage
Requires the preposition 'to' when followed by an object.
Pitfall
I like to listen music in the morning.
I like to listen to music in the morning.
Always use the preposition 'to' when you mention the thing or person you are hearing.
Synonyms
Antonyms
02to follow advice
B1 · Intermediate
v. to follow someone's advice or obey what they tell you to do.
v. to take notice of and be guided by advice or instructions; to obey.
“You should have listened to my warning about the icy roads.”
“Despite the warnings from the legal department, the executive refused to listen, eventually leading the company into a costly lawsuit.”
Teaching tip
In this sense, 'listen' often implies not just hearing, but changing one's behavior based on what was heard.
03an act of listening
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Informal
n. an act of listening to something, like a song or a podcast.
n. an instance or period of listening to an audio recording or broadcast.
“That new album is great; you should give it a listen.”
“The podcast episode is quite long, but it is definitely worth a listen if you are interested in ancient history.”
Usage
Commonly used in the phrase 'give something a listen'.
Confusables
Hear is the physical sense of sound hitting the ear; listen is the mental act of paying attention to that sound.
RememberHear is passive; Listen is an action.
Real-World Examples
“Wiggling your ears might be more of a pub party piece than a survival skill, but humans still try to prick up their ears when listening hard, researchers have found.” “Even more curiously, how do we "learn" to "listen" to music, something that seems so fundamental we take it for granted?” Etymology
From Middle English listenen, listnen, alteration (due to Middle English listen (“to listen, give heed to”)) of Old English hlysnan (“to listen”), from Proto-Germanic hlusnijaną, hlusnōną (compare Middle High German lüsenen), from Proto-Germanic hlusēną (compare Old High German hlosēn), from Proto-Indo-European ḱlew- (“to hear”). Cognate with Swedish lyssna (“to listen”). Compare Ancient Greek κλαίω (klaíō, “to make known, famous”), Welsh clywed (“to hear”), Latin clueō (“to be famous”), Lithuanian klausýti, Old Church Slavonic слушати (slušati, “to hear”), Sanskrit श्रोषति (śróṣati, “an exclamation used in making an offering with fire to the gods or departed spirits”) & Sanskrit श्लोक्य (ślókya, “voice, sound, noisy”)). Related to loud and German lauschen.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
VERB
Related words
Idioms
01. listen up
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/listen
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0