listen
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to follow someone's advice or do what they tell you to do.
v.to take notice of and be guided by advice or instructions; to comply with a request.
Simple“You should listen to your doctor and get more sleep.”
In context“If the management had listened to the engineers' warnings earlier, the mechanical failure could have been avoided entirely.”
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.an instance of listening to something, like a song or a podcast.
n.an instance or period of listening to a recording or broadcast.
Simple“That new album is definitely worth a listen.”
In context“The podcast episode is quite long, but it is well worth a listen for anyone interested in local history.”
listen vs hear — Hear is the physical sense of sound hitting the ear; listen is the mental act of paying attention to that sound.
Usage listen back
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.