listening
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.the act of paying attention to what you hear, or the ability to understand spoken language.
n.the active physiological and cognitive process of attending to and interpreting auditory signals.
Simple“Good listening is just as important as speaking when you are having a conversation.”
In context“Effective leadership requires active listening to ensure that every team member feels their concerns have been genuinely understood.”
UsageOften functions as an uncountable noun when referring to the general skill.
Synonyms - 02 A2 Elementary
n.a school task or test where you listen to a recording and answer questions.
n.a pedagogical task designed to assess or develop a learner's auditory comprehension.
Simple“We have a difficult listening in our English class tomorrow morning.”
In context“The advanced listening featured several different regional accents to challenge the students' phonetic processing skills.”
UsageCommonly used as a countable noun in educational contexts.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describes something used for hearing or paying attention to sounds.
adj.pertaining to the act of monitoring or detecting sound; often used in technical or military contexts.
Simple“The soldiers set up a listening post on the hill to hear the enemy.”
In context“The intelligence agency maintained several remote listening stations to monitor unauthorized radio transmissions across the border.”
UsageUsually appears as an attributive adjective before a noun.
Synonyms
Usage listening to music
From Middle English listnynge, lustninde, from Old English hlysnende, equivalent to listen + -ing.
From Middle English listnynge, lustnynge, lystenynge, equivalent to listen + -ing.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.