ENGLISH
REFERENCE

listen to

phrasal verb.
Definition

phrasal verb. To pay attention to a sound, some music, or what a person is saying, using your ears.

phrasal verb. To direct one's attention to a sound, utterance, or piece of audio; also figuratively, to heed or act on advice. Takes "to" before the object.


SIMPLE

I listen to music on the way to school.

CONTEXTUAL

Please listen to the safety instructions before the plane takes off.

COMPLEX

If he had listened to his doctor's advice a year earlier, the whole operation might have been avoided.

Last updated July 27, 2026