English Reference
noun

listener

n.
US /ˈɫɪsənɝ/ UK /lˈɪsənɐ/ lis·ten·er UK spelling listeners

  1. 01 A2 Elementary

    someone who hears a speech, a radio show, or music.

    an individual who perceives and attends to audio input, such as a broadcast, lecture, or musical performance.

    Simple

    The radio station has over a million listeners every morning.

    In context

    The lecturer paused frequently to ensure that every listener in the hall could follow the complex argument being presented.

    auditorhearer
  2. 02 B1 Intermediate

    someone who pays attention to what you say and tries to understand your feelings.

    a person who provides empathetic attention to a speaker, often in a therapeutic or supportive context.

    Simple

    She is a very good listener, so I always talk to her when I have a problem.

    In context

    Effective leadership requires being an active listener who values the perspectives of every team member before making a final decision.

  3. 03 C1 Advanced Technical Computing

    a piece of computer code that waits for a specific action, like a mouse click, to happen.

    a function or procedure that waits for a specific event to occur, such as a user interaction or a system state change, and executes a response.

    Simple

    The programmer added a listener to the button so the page would save when clicked.

    In context

    The application performance degraded because too many event listeners were attached to the scroll container, causing significant lag during user interaction.

    Usage

    Often used in the phrase 'event listener'.

  4. 04 C2 Proficiency SlangInformal

    a casual or funny word for a person's ear.

    a metonymic reference to the organ of hearing.

    Simple

    Keep your listeners open for any news about the new job.

    In context

    He leaned in close, cupping a hand behind his listener to catch the faint whisper in the crowded room.

    ear

From listen + -er.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Level A2 · Elementary
Frequency Frequent
Updated