listening
n. · adj.-
1 the skill or act (n.) A1 Beginnerthe act of paying attention to what you hear, or the ability to understand spoken language.
the active physiological and cognitive process of attending to and interpreting auditory signals.
ExampleGood listening is just as important as speaking when you are having a conversation.
ExampleEffective 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.
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2 an exercise (n.) A2 Elementary Sciencea school task or test where you listen to a recording and answer questions.
a pedagogical task designed to assess or develop a learner's auditory comprehension.
ExampleWe have a difficult listening in our English class tomorrow morning.
ExampleThe advanced listening featured several different regional accents to challenge the students' phonetic processing skills.
UsageCommonly used as a countable noun in educational contexts.
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3 used for hearing (adj.) B2 Upper Intermediate Technicaldescribes something used for hearing or paying attention to sounds.
pertaining to the act of monitoring or detecting sound; often used in technical or military contexts.
ExampleThe soldiers set up a listening post on the hill to hear the enemy.
ExampleThe intelligence agency maintained several remote listening stations to monitor unauthorized radio transmissions across the border.
UsageUsually appears as an attributive adjective before a noun.
From Middle English listnynge, lustninde, from Old English hlysnende, equivalent to listen + -ing.
From Middle English listnynge, lustnynge, lystenynge, equivalent to listen + -ing.