listen1 verblisten2 noun
listenlis‧ten1 /ˈlɪsən/ ●●● S1 W1 verb [intransitive] 
WORD ORIGINlisten
Origin:
Old English hlysnanVERB TABLE
listen
| Simple Form | ||
| Present | I, you, we, they | listen |
| he, she, it | listens | |
| Past | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | listened |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have listened |
| he, she, it | has listened | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had listened |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will listen |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have listened |
| Continuous Form | ||
| Present | I | am listening |
| he, she, it | is listening | |
| you, we, they | are listening | |
| Past | I, he, she, it | was listening |
| you, we, they | were listening | |
| Present perfect | I, you, we, they | have been listening |
| he, she, it | has been listening | |
| Past perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | had been listening |
| Future | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will be listening |
| Future perfect | I, you, he, she, it, we, they | will have been listening |
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Listen! There's someone coming upstairs!
- Listen, don't panic. I'm sure we can get your money back.
- Listen, I've just had a really good idea.
- He listened carefully to every word I said.
- I could listen to Placido Domingo all day -- he has such a beautiful voice!
- I didn't hear the answer, because I wasn't listening when she read it out.
- If you listen hard, you can hear the sound of the sea in the distance.
- If you listened in class you might get better grades.
- Mrs Singh leaned forward, listening intently as they explained the procedure to her.
- The company has begun to listen more carefully to its customers, in a determined attempt to improve customer service.
- You had better be listening because I'm not going to repeat myself.
- He listened to relaxation tapes and practiced breathing exercises to stop hyperventilating.
- I also listen to Oscar Peterson.
- I could hear foreign voices raised in the kitchen and stopped listening to my companions.
- Jezebel ... Don't listen to a word they say.
- One of Maya Angelou's own pleasures is listening to great voices.
- Take the time to sit back and listen and establish a routine for yourself.
- They had to sit listening to talk about people they had not met, only heard of.
- Why should the adventurers stop and listen to any of this?
THESAURUS
to pay attention to what someone is saying or to a sound that you hear: · I didn’t hear the answer, because I wasn’t listening when she read it out.· He listened carefully to every word I said.
to listen carefully to what someone is saying: · I nodded to show I was paying attention.· She was tired and wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying.
to secretly listen to someone else’s conversation by standing near them, hiding behind a door etc: · I caught him eavesdropping on our conversation.· They spoke in quiet voices which made it hard to eavesdrop.
to hear someone say something, especially accidentally: · I overheard him say something about wanting to move house.· Excuse me! I couldn’t help overhearing that you were planning a trip to Thailand.
to listen to a radio programme, or to someone using a radio transmitter: · Over a million people tune in to the programme each week.· Tune in at the same time next week for the next episode.· The equipment could be used by criminals to tune in to police broadcasts.
to connect a piece of electronic recording equipment to a telephone system so that you can listen to people’s telephone conversations: · The police had tapped the phones of all three suspects.· The president had to resign over an illegal phone-tapping operation.
to hide a small piece of electronic recording equipment in someone’s room, car, office etc in order to listen secretly to what is said there: · Security agents bugged their offices and managed to get some evidence against them.· Wells was convinced the house was bugged and insisted on playing loud music while we talked.
Longman Language Activatorto listen to someone or something to pay attention to what someone is saying or to a sound that you hear: · I didn't hear the answer, because I wasn't listening when she read it out.· If you listened in class you might get better grades.listen to: · He listened carefully to every word I said.· I could listen to Placido Domingo all day -- he has such a beautiful voice!listen hard (=try hard to hear something that is very quiet): · If you listen hard, you can hear the sound of the sea in the distance.listen carefully: · The company has begun to listen more carefully to its customers, in a determined attempt to improve customer service.listen intently (=listen very carefully to hear what someone is saying): · Mrs Singh leaned forward, listening intently as they explained the procedure to her.
to listen carefully to what someone is saying: · I have some important information about travel arrangements, so please pay attention.· Billy's a smart kid, but he doesn't pay attention in class.pay attention to: · She went on talking, but I wasn't really paying attention to what she was saying.· According to the survey, two-thirds of young people do not follow politics and pay no attention to election campaigns.
to listen carefully for a sound that you are expecting to hear, although you do not know when it will happen: · We hid behind the door, listening for the sound of the guard's footsteps.· The flight had been delayed, and so I waited in the departure lounge listening for announcements.· She lay in bed, listening out for the sound of his feet on the stairs.
to listen to all of what someone wants to tell you without interrupting them, especially when you disagree with them or do not believe them: · Hear me out first, Jane, and then you can say what you think. · Knapp heard him out patiently but still refused to change his mind.
to secretly listen to someone to listen to someone else's conversation when they do not know that you are listening, either on the telephone or when you are near them: · Whenever her boss had one of his "private meetings", she always used to listen in.listen in on: · We tried to listen in on their conversation, but they were talking too quietly.· They used to have hours of fun listening in on what people were doing in their hotel rooms.
to secretly listen to someone else's conversation by standing near them, hiding behind a door etc: · How did you know I was going? You've been eavesdropping, haven't you!eavesdrop on: · I caught him eavesdropping on our conversation.· Sue was able to eavesdrop on them through the open window.
to hide a small piece of electronic recording equipment in someone's room, car, office etc in order to listen secretly to what is said there: · Security agents bugged their offices and managed to get some evidence against them.· Wells was convinced the house was bugged and insisted on playing loud music while we talked.
to connect a piece of electronic recording equipment to a telephone system so that you can listen to people's telephone conversations: · Later we realized our phones had been tapped and the police knew everything.· The President had to resign over an illegal phone-tapping operation.
to listen to another country's radio or television broadcasts or radio messages in order to get information about that country: · Satellite technology means that enemy airwaves can be monitored more closely than ever before.
what you say when telling someone to listen spoken say this when you want someone to listen and pay attention to what you are saying: · Listen! There's someone coming upstairs!· Listen, I've just had a really good idea.
spoken say this when you want someone, especially a group of people, to pay close attention to what you are saying, especially when you are giving them instructions: · Okay, class. Listen up. Open your books at page 33.· The directions are complicated so listen up.
to listen to the radio to listen to a radio programme or a particular radio station: · Lucy sat in her car, listening to the radio.· I always listen to the news while I have my breakfast.· What station are you listening to?
to turn on your radio and listen to a particular programme, especially if you do this at the same time each week: · Be sure to tune in next week at the same time for another exciting episode of "Death Ray".tune in to: · Tune in to the Breakfast Show tomorrow to win VIP tickets to the Lollapalooza festival on Long Island.
someone who listens someone who is listening to a speech, piece of music etc, or who regularly listens to a particular radio programme or station: · He paused momentarily to check that his listeners had fully appreciated the humour of his remark.· The programme already has more than two million listeners across the country.
a group of people who watch and listen to someone speaking or performing in public, or who listen to a radio or television programme or station: · The second comedian really made the audience laugh.· The audience consisted mainly of young girls under sixteen.· WMLD's audience is mainly young and black.· These two programs are both news and current affairs, but they cater for very different audiences.
if someone is a good listener , they always listen carefully and sympathetically when someone else is talking: · Cara's a really good listener, so she always has someone telling her their problems.
determined in a way that is annoying or silly someone who is stubborn refuses to change their mind about something, even when people think they are wrong or are being unreasonable: · I told him it was a bad idea, but Dave's so stubborn that he just never listens.· a stubborn old man
someone who is obstinate always does what they want and refuses to change their mind, even when this is annoying and unreasonable: · How do you deal with an obstinate teenager who always says she isn't hungry?· You know I'm right really. You're just being obstinate.
informal use this about someone who refuses to change their mind when you think that what they want to do is stupid: · He really was the most pig-headed man I've ever had the misfortune to meet.· Don't be so pig-headed! You can't possibly drive home after the amount you've had to drink.
someone who is headstrong is very independent and wants to do things in the way that they want, without listening to other people's advice or thinking about the results of their actions: · Leo's parents soon found that they were completely unable to control their headstrong son.· Suzie was headstrong, and sometimes thoughtless of other people's feelings.
British /willful American someone who is wilful , especially a child or young person, deliberately behaves badly by continuing to do what they want to do, even after they have been told to stop: · Billy is a very wilful little boy who's constantly being punished for not doing as he's told.· Sometimes kids who are described as difficult or wilful just need a little extra love and attention.
if you say that someone will not listen , you mean that they refuse to accept other people's helpful advice or opinions: · I've told him again and again what I think, but he won't listen.not listen to reason: · Wait until she calms down. She's far too upset at the moment to listen to reason.
to not pay attention to what someone says or does to deliberately pay no attention to what someone does or says, and pretend it is not important or does not affect you: · She ignored my question and continued her story.· Someone made a rude noise, which the teacher decided to ignore.· My father's always telling me what to do, but I usually just ignore him.ignore somebody's advice/warning: · It was very stupid of you to ignore your mother's advice.· Ignoring my warnings, he dived straight into the shallow water.
to ignore someone or something, especially by not watching or listening to them: · "What's this injection for?'' he asked the nurse. She paid no attention, rolling up his sleeve in silence.· People living near the crash scene paid no attention when they heard the aircraft's engine cut out in mid-air. pay no attention/not pay any attention to: · More than half the people questioned said they did not pay any attention to political broadcasts.
not to let someone affect what you do or the way you feel: · Stan has fired me before. I usually take no notice and turn up for work again the next day.take no notice/not take any notice of: · Take no notice of him. He's just being silly.· He never took any notice of the baby, even when it screamed.
to ignore someone's advice when they talk to you: · You never listen to me. You just do whatever you want.· It's because you didn't listen to Roger that you are in this trouble now.not listen to reason (=not listen to sensible advice): · We all warned Susan not to marry that man, but she wouldn't listen to reason.
if your request or suggestion falls on deaf ears , it is ignored by the people who have the power to deal with it: · The workers' demand for a wage increase has fallen on deaf ears.· As rioting continued, Mayor Warren appealed for calm, but his words fell on deaf ears.
informal to not be willing to listen to people's problems, complaints, bad news etc because you do not want to be worried by them: · You'd think the government would be concerned about people sleeping rough, but they just don't want to know.not want to know about: · If you're going to start an argument with Alex, I don't want to know about it.
especially American to deliberately not listen to what someone is saying, especially because it is unpleasant or you have heard it before: tune out something: · He had learned to tune out the kids' constant questions.tune something out: · There was a warning voice in the back of her mind, but she tuned it out.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY
The whole class was listening attentively. Liz stood still and listened hard (=very carefully). She refused to listen to reason (=accept sensible advice).COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES You need to think very carefully about which course you want to do.
1to pay attention to what someone is saying or to a sound that you can hear: The whole class was listening attentively. Liz stood still and listened hard (=very carefully). She refused to listen to reason (=accept sensible advice). (also heed somebody’s advice formal) (=pay attention to someone’s advice)· I wish I had listened to her advice.
You need to think very carefully about which course you want to do.· He's upstairs listening to his CDs.
· I was listening to the football commentary on the radio.
· He was always willing to listen to gossip.
· Most students spend about a quarter of their time listening to lectures.
· Ella was listening to music on her iPod.
· A lot of people listen to that programme on the way to work.
· She was sitting up in bed, listening to the radio.
· I didn’t do very well in the listening test.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB· Listen attentively and quietly to what your teenager thinks.· He talked with them about everything-politics, religion, music-and listened attentively when they spoke.· The accused, Eddie Gilfoyle, 32, listened attentively to the lengthy discussions.· He moved quickly, and the students listened attentively.· Laura listened attentively while Yoyo read the speech out loud, and in the end, her eyes were glistening too.· The resource person listens attentively and reflects back what is said, in the L1, in a non-critical way.· I sat up and listened attentively.
· Budgeting your time Before the exam begins, listen carefully to the instructions given by the invigilator.· They were frank discussions and he listened carefully.· Begin by listening carefully to how the bereaved speak about their loss.· So listen carefully and take it to your hearts.· She was standing slightly curled, listening carefully to some one.· Gingrich listened carefully to the Tuesday Lunch Bunch, and sometimes came along to their meetings.
· Johnny lifted his head, listening intently.· Peter listened intently as Manion gave him a detailed account of the conversation.· Pressing his ear to the edge of the door, he listened intently, while a full three minutes ticked past.· The president listened intently and asked many questions.· She smiled little and listened intently whenever the man, sober-suited and authoritative, spoke.· They held their breath and listened intently.· The dead were listening intently, enjoying the psychodrama.· Miss Pinkerton, the math teacher; writes problems and equations on the board, and I listen intently to her explanations.
NOUN· Four Galks stood listening to the conversation.· I was certain that all the writers were listening to my conversation and were amused by it.· Molassi had listened to the conversation between the clever boy and the pretty lady.· Day after day, skilled linguists don headsets and listen to the stolen conversations of foreign leaders in more than 100 languages.· I can also listen to a conversation between mining engineers and understand ninety-five percent of it, even after all these years.· I melted into the wall and listened to snatches of conversation.· Also, listening to people's conversations can be very enlightening and suggestive of ideas.· I was listening to a conversation that had been going on for generations.
· The truth of the matter is that it depends on the person and not the music we listen to.· Q: What kind of music do you listen to?· Morris says, before noting that neither he nor the rest of the band is exclusive when it comes to music listening.· Curve is interesting music to listen to even if you don't really like it.· There is music that is heard, and there is music that must be listened to.· The talk turns to music and Kiefer listens.· If the music leads, you listen and sing with it.
· Countless thousands all over the globe listen to the hourly news broadcasts with interest, respect and admiration.· He has called them here to listen to his news.· She listened to the bad news without any noticeable reaction.· I never read the papers very much, or listened to the news.· Frank had no real interest in the radio, beyond sometimes listening to the sports news.· At regular intervals, she listened to the news on the radio.
· The age of people carrying radios around or listening in cars was undreamt of.· We sat behind a berm and took off our radios while still listening to them.· The idea behind radar was to send out radio waves and listen for echoes from enemy craft.· Turned on the radio to listen to a play, but it was stupid, so went to bed.· Frank had no real interest in the radio, beyond sometimes listening to the sports news.
· But one listens to her final records with dismay after hearing the fresh, uncanny beauty of the early ones.· The two teenagers had only been listening to records, but the dad was pissed, none the less.· I spent a lot of time listening to records and just hanging out with friends.· They had a light supper, played backgammon for dimes, sat listening to records in the living room.· He read some of Rosa's books, and listened to her records.· So I usually sipped spicy tea and listened to records all night.· When you listen to their records they're always a lot slower than you perceive them to be.· I recommend that all my students listen to records at least two or three hours a day.
· As she washed, she listened tensely for the sounds of movement.· We would lie in bed together, listening to the sounds of Paris outside.· Here ... Valerie listened for suspicious sounds on the tape, and despised herself for so doing.· He listened to the muffled sound waver and fall in pitch, like a faraway siren.· Claudia lying in her hut listening for the first sounds of life.· But he was tired so he just lay there, listening to the street sounds, and waited for morning.· In the complete and oppressive silence of his tomb, John listened for the sound of rescuers.· We are hear to listen to the sounds of a didgeridoo.
· Pupils at Key Stage 2 will also benefit from listening to stories.· But Paul listened quietly to her story and told her that he still wanted to marry her.· She listened to the stories of small triumphs brought back from the dances.· Toos and Alvin Sharpes arrived and sat on the stairs to listen to the story and stare at the storyteller.· Thank you also for listening to my story.· They listen to stories, memorize nursery rhymes, look at picture books and gain other experiences that prepare them to read.· Trent had listened to stories of the 1961 hurricane.· Opening their hearts to Jane, the brother finds her work in the village school and the sisters listen to her story.
· Both of them listened to the raised voices.· They had been listening to so many other voices, why would they not listen to the voices of their sons?· One of Maya Angelou's own pleasures is listening to great voices.· Emerson talks about listening to that inner voice and going with it, all voices to the contrary.· But isn't it a problem that governments tend to listen to the voices of business, rather than civil society?· Do not listen to those voices inside you who want to limit your potential.· They have said that they need to listen to the voices of women and they are ready to do so.· Now though, listening only to a voice, Rainville did believe her.
· She wasn't listening to a word he said.· Jezebel ... Don't listen to a word they say.· In fact, Barnabas opened his eyes and listened intently to every word.· After that she stood in a hazy dream, listening to the words that made them husband and wife.· I pause on the steps to listen to the words.· This can help them overcome their tendency to listen for the words rather than the message.· Evidently he was listening to every word we said.
VERB· In the dead of night I woke up for some reason, and lay listening to the others as they slept.· I would lie in bed, listening to my parents whisper about them.· She lay listening to these signs of a weather change and wondered whether Tristram had decided not to come after all.· But he was tired so he just lay there, listening to the street sounds, and waited for morning.· Later, as they lay in bed listening to the rain, John wondered how their new life together would ever work.· But after we got into bed, and after Frank had fallen asleep, I lay awake, listening to him breathe.· Claudia lying in her hut listening for the first sounds of life.· I would wake up first and lie next to her listening to her breathing.
· I could then sit and relax and listen to the other violinists.· I sat quietly and listened to their exchange.· In the small back room Danny Tanner sat listening to his old friend Billy Sullivan's problems.· On the darkened deck of the Minerva they sat listening contentedly to Strauss waltzes from the stereo.· Slim and in his sixties, he sat and listened as I proceeded to explain my mission.· So I tell him about the search for her, and he sits and listens.· Typically, 157 parents sit and listen as children read aloud, and assist with difficult sections of the text.
· He stood and listened, stiff and unmoving.· Had stood outside the window listening.· He stood listening to the footsteps coming closer to him.· She was standing slightly curled, listening carefully to some one.· She could have stood there all day listening to him repeat it over and over again.· There was a click, but she stood listening to the dial tone, steadied by its urgent drone.· Four Galks stood listening to the conversation.· I stood on that porch listening to the silence, watching the white clouds in the dark blue summer sky.
· Will you please stop screaming and simply listen?· Our unsolicited advice: Cut off the dreads, peel off the bumper sticker, and just stop listening to reggae entirely.· Archie ignored the bell and continued talking but everyone stopped listening and started worming their way free of the hard plastic chairs.· I stopped listening to Jake Rosso's records, and took his pictures off my bedroom wall.· Some musicians were playing on the street, and the man stopped to listen.· When he stopped, they listened, and heard answering barks.· In hushed silence I stopped and listened.
· Sara, watching, and listening to him, felt her heart expand with sweetness.· Voters expecting to meet him were asked instead to watch a video and listen to a telephone conference call.· Dustin spent hours watching and listening to the old man.· Finally, I asked if he minded if I watched, and listened.· You were the one there, on the edge, watching and listening.· Jody stands outside the circle, watching and listening.· Theodora had followed her brief and for three months she had watched and listened.· But my daughter no longer watches or listens to me.
Listen! There’s a strange noise in the engine.listen to We sat around listening to music.listen carefully/intently/hard etc The whole class was listening attentively. Liz stood still and listened hard (=very carefully).► see thesaurus at hear2spoken used to tell someone to pay attention to what you are going to say: Listen, I want you to come with me.3to consider what someone says and accept their advice: I told him not to go, but he just wouldn’t listen.listen to I wish I’d listened to Dad. She refused to listen to reason (=accept sensible advice).GRAMMAR: Comparisonlisten• You listen to someone or something: · I love listening to classical music. ✗Don’t say: I love listening classical music.• You listen to someone or something doing something: · I listened to the rain falling on the roof.hear• You hear someone or something: · I heard a sudden shout.• You hear someone or something do something: · I heard something fall into the water.• You hear someone or something doing something: · I heard someone shouting.THESAURUSlisten to pay attention to what someone is saying or to a sound that you hear: · I didn’t hear the answer, because I wasn’t listening when she read it out.· He listened carefully to every word I said.pay attention to listen carefully to what someone is saying: · I nodded to show I was paying attention.· She was tired and wasn’t paying attention to what he was saying.eavesdrop to secretly listen to someone else’s conversation by standing near them, hiding behind a door etc: · I caught him eavesdropping on our conversation.· They spoke in quiet voices which made it hard to eavesdrop.overhear to hear someone say something, especially accidentally: · I overheard him say something about wanting to move house.· Excuse me! I couldn’t help overhearing that you were planning a trip to Thailand.tune in (to something) to listen to a radio programme, or to someone using a radio transmitter: · Over a million people tune in to the programme each week.· Tune in at the same time next week for the next episode.· The equipment could be used by criminals to tune in to police broadcasts.tap to connect a piece of electronic recording equipment to a telephone system so that you can listen to people’s telephone conversations: · The police had tapped the phones of all three suspects.· The president had to resign over an illegal phone-tapping operation.bug to hide a small piece of electronic recording equipment in someone’s room, car, office etc in order to listen secretly to what is said there: · Security agents bugged their offices and managed to get some evidence against them.· Wells was convinced the house was bugged and insisted on playing loud music while we talked.listen for something phrasal verb to listen carefully so that you will notice a particular sound: Listen for the moment when the music changes.listen in phrasal verb1to listen to a broadcast on the radiolisten in to I must remember to listen in to the news. → tune in2to listen to someone’s conversation when they do not want you tolisten in on It sounded like someone was listening in on us.listen out phrasal verb British English informal to listen carefully so that you will notice a particular soundlisten out for Listen out for the baby in case she wakes up.listen up phrasal verb spoken used to get people’s attention so they can hear what you are going to say: Hey everybody, listen up!listen1 verblisten2 noun
listenlisten2 noun EXAMPLES FROM THE CORPUS
- So go on Sounds readers, give All a listen.
- They're definitely worth a listen.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRY Have a listen to this new album!COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES You need to think very carefully about which course you want to do.
a listen British English informal an act of listening: Have a listen to this new album! (also heed somebody’s advice formal) (=pay attention to someone’s advice)· I wish I had listened to her advice.
You need to think very carefully about which course you want to do.· He's upstairs listening to his CDs.
· I was listening to the football commentary on the radio.
· He was always willing to listen to gossip.
· Most students spend about a quarter of their time listening to lectures.
· Ella was listening to music on her iPod.
· A lot of people listen to that programme on the way to work.
· She was sitting up in bed, listening to the radio.
· I didn’t do very well in the listening test.
Have a listen to this new album!