listen

lis·ten

L0196900 (lĭs′ən) intr.v. lis·tened, lis·ten·ing, lis·tens 1. To make an effort to hear something: listen to the radio; listen for the bell that ends class. 2. To pay attention; heed: "She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit" (Maya Angelou). n. An act of listening: Would you like to give the CD a listen before buying it? Phrasal Verb: listen in 1. To listen to a conversation between others; eavesdrop. 2. To tune in and listen to a broadcast. Idiom: listen up Used as command to get a group or individual to pay attention: Listen up, everyone—we have to evacuate!

[Middle English listenen, alteration (influenced by listen, to list, listen; see list⁴) of Old English hlysnan; see kleu- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

lis′ten·er n.

listen

(ˈlɪsən) vb (intr) 1. to concentrate on hearing something2. to take heed; pay attention: I told you many times but you wouldn't listen. [Old English hlysnan; related to Old High German lūstrēn] ˈlistener n

lis•ten

(ˈlɪs ən)
v.i. 1. to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing. 2. to heed; obey (often fol. by to): Children don't always listen to their parents. 3. to wait attentively to perceive a sound or signal (usu. fol. by for): to listen for footsteps. v.t. 4. Archaic. to give ear to; hear. 5. listen in, a. to listen to a broadcast, as on the radio: Listen in tomorrow for the conclusion. b. to listen to a conversation without joining it. c. to eavesdrop (often fol. by on or to): Someone was listening in on our call. [before 950; Middle English lis(t)nen, Old English hlysnan, c. Middle High German lüsenen] lis′ten•er, n.

listen

ear to the ground - It was early Native Americans who taught us to, literally, keep an ear to the ground to listen for horses' hooves as riders approached.
scout - From the Latin ausculture, "to listen," it became Old French escoute, "a spy."
hearken - To pay attention or listen; it can also mean "to return to a previous topic."
listen, hear - To listen is to try to hear; to hear is simply to perceive with the ear.

listen

Past participle: listened
Gerund: listening

Imperative
listen
listen

Present
I listen
you listen
he/she/it listens
we listen
you listen
they listen

Preterite
I listened
you listened
he/she/it listened
we listened
you listened
they listened

Present Continuous
I am listening
you are listening
he/she/it is listening
we are listening
you are listening
they are listening

Present Perfect
I have listened
you have listened
he/she/it has listened
we have listened
you have listened
they have listened

Past Continuous
I was listening
you were listening
he/she/it was listening
we were listening
you were listening
they were listening

Past Perfect
I had listened
you had listened
he/she/it had listened
we had listened
you had listened
they had listened

Future
I will listen
you will listen
he/she/it will listen
we will listen
you will listen
they will listen

Future Perfect
I will have listened
you will have listened
he/she/it will have listened
we will have listened
you will have listened
they will have listened

Future Continuous
I will be listening
you will be listening
he/she/it will be listening
we will be listening
you will be listening
they will be listening

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been listening
you have been listening
he/she/it has been listening
we have been listening
you have been listening
they have been listening

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been listening
you will have been listening
he/she/it will have been listening
we will have been listening
you will have been listening
they will have been listening

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been listening
you had been listening
he/she/it had been listening
we had been listening
you had been listening
they had been listening

Conditional
I would listen
you would listen
he/she/it would listen
we would listen
you would listen
they would listen

Past Conditional
I would have listened
you would have listened
he/she/it would have listened
we would have listened
you would have listened
they would have listened

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	listen - hear with intention; "Listen to the sound of this cello"perceive, comprehend - to become aware of through the senses; "I could perceive the ship coming over the horizon"hear out - listen to every detail and give a full hearing tolisten in - listen quietly, without contributing to the conversationadvert, give ear, pay heed, attend, hang - give heed (to); "The children in the audience attended the recital quietly"; "She hung on his every word"; "They attended to everything he said"hark, harken, hearken - listen; used mostly in the imperativeeavesdrop, listen in - listen without the speaker's knowledge; "the jealous man was eavesdropping on his wife's conversations"eavesdrop, listen in - listen without the speaker's knowledge; "the jealous man was eavesdropping on his wife's conversations"
	2.	listen - listen and pay attention; "Listen to your father"; "We must hear the expert before we make a decision"take heed, hearfocus, pore, rivet, center, centre, concentrate - direct one's attention on something; "Please focus on your studies and not on your hobbies"incline - bend or turn (one's ear) towards a speaker in order to listen well; "He inclined his ear to the wise old man"
	3.	listen - pay close attention to; give heed to; "Heed the advice of the old men"heed, mindobey - be obedient to

listen

verb1. hear, attend, pay attention, hark, be attentive, be all ears, lend an ear, hearken (archaic), prick up your ears, give ear, keep your ears open, pin back your ears (informal) He spent his time listening to the radio.2. pay attention, observe, obey, mind, concentrate, heed, take notice, take note of, take heed of, do as you are told, give heed to When I asked him to stop, he wouldn't listen.listen in on something eavesdrop, monitor, tap, spy, bug (informal), overhear, intrude, pry, snoop (informal), earwig (informal) He assigned federal agents to listen in on their phone calls.Quotations
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears" [William Shakespeare Julius Caesar]
"We have two ears and only one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less" [Diogenes Laertius Lives of the Philosophers]

listen

verb1. To make an effort to hear something:hark, hearken.Archaic: list.Idiom: give an ear.2. To perceive by ear, usually attentively:attend, hark, hear, heed.Archaic: hearken.Idiom: give one's ear.

Translations

听听从留神听某人说话

listen

(ˈlisn) verb1. (often with to) to give attention so as to hear (what someone is saying etc). I told her three times, but she wasn't listening; Do listen to the music!听2. (with to) to follow the advice of. If she'd listened to me, she wouldn't have got into trouble.听从listen in on to listen intentionally to (a private conversation etc). 偷听

listen

→ 听zhCN, 留神听某人说话zhCN

listen

talk to the hand

A rude interjection meant to interrupt and dismiss what another person is saying. (Sometimes written or spoken in longer forms, such as, "talk to the hand, because the face isn't listening," or the like.) Dad: "Sarah, would you mind cleaning up the—" Sarah: "Talk to the hand, dad! I've got too much going on to be dealing with chores around the house!" All of us were aghast when Jonathan turned to the police officer and said, "Talk to the hand, 'cause the face ain't interested!"See also: hand, talk

listen to reason

To listen to a rational assessment of a situation. Oh, I've tried talking to her about how dangerous her career is, but she just will not listen to reason. Unfortunately, three-year-olds don't yet listen to reason.See also: listen, reason

listen (to someone or something) with half an ear

To listen to someone or something intermittently or with only partial attention. Unfortunately, I don't remember what Mom said because I was only listening with half an ear while the game was on TV. Who won? I was only listening to the radio with half an ear when they made the announcement.See also: ear, half, listen, someone

listen out for (someone or something)

To be and remain attentive so as to hear some sound. Primarily heard in UK. You listen out for Mary's car so we can get in our places to surprise her. Could you please turn down your music? I'm listening out for the pizza delivery guy.See also: listen, out

listen for (someone or something)

To be and remain attentive so as to hear some sound. You listen for Mary's car so we can get in our places to surprise her. Could you please turn down your music? I'm trying to listen for the pizza delivery guy.See also: listen

listen in (on someone or something)

1. To join something in order to begin listening to it. The band is rehearsing in the studio next door, so I've been listening in on my lunch breaks. I'd to go listen in on the talk the professor is giving about early Modernism.2. To listen to or overhear a conversation that one is not supposed to be a part of; to eavesdrop. Let's postpone this discussion until a later time—I think some people in the office are listening in on us. I wasn't trying to listen in on their argument, but they were speaking so loudly that it was impossible not to.See also: listen, someone

listen up

To begin paying attention and listening carefully (to someone or something). Usually said as a command. Listen up, Joe, this information concerns you as well. OK, listen up, everyone. We only have three hours to complete this project, so let's get to work.See also: listen, up

stop, look, and listen

1. Literally, to stop before crossing a street or railroad, looking and listening to make sure no car or train is coming. Because we lived across the street from a huge park where we spent most of our time during the summers, our parents drilled it into us to always stop, look, and listen before crossing the road.2. To exercise caution, prudence, or awareness in a dangerous, risky, or sensitive situation. We advise all our clients to stop, look, and listen before making any large investments like these. Just promise me that you'll always stop, look, and listen while you're traveling.See also: and, listen

social listening

In marketing, using a business's social media presence to learn what interests customers and how they view the business as a brand, with the goal of identifying trends that can be used to further the business in the future. A lot of big brands now engage in social listening and often end up offering products based on direct consumer suggestions.See also: listen, social

listen to

1. To pay close attention to the sounds someone or something is making. The doctor listened to her breathing to see how serious the infections was. Pop the hood of your car, and I'll listen to the engine to see if I can tell what's wrong.2. To obey someone or something; to follow someone's or something's instructions. Please listen to your father, Jonah. You've got to listen to your body and realize when you need to take a break.See also: listen

I'm listening

Used to emphasize that one is ready to hear or listen to someone or something. I'm listening—what really happened last night?See also: listen

I'm listening.

and I'm all ears.Inf. You have my attention, so you should talk. Bob: Look, old pal. I want to talk to you about something. Tom: I'm listening. Bill: I guess I owe you an apology. Jane: I'm all ears.See also: listen

listen for someone or something

to try to hear someone or something. I will have to let you in the front door if you come home late. I will listen for you. I am listening for the telephone.See also: listen

listen in

(on someone or something) 1. to join someone or a group as a listener. The band is rehearsing. Let's go listen in on them. It won't hurt to listen in, will it? 2. to eavesdrop on someone. Please don't try to listen in on us. This is a private conversation. I am not listening in. I was here first. You are talking too loud.See also: listen

listen to reason

to yield to a reasonable argument; to take the reasonable course. Please listen to reason, and don't do something you'll regret. She got into trouble because she wouldn't listen to reason.See also: listen, reason

listen to someone or something

1. to pay attention to and hear someone or something. Listen to me! Hear what I have to say! I want to listen to his speech. 2. to heed someone, orders, or advice. Listen to me! Do what I tell you! You really should listen to his advice.See also: listen

listen up

to listen carefully. (Usually a command.) Now, listen up! This is important. Listen up, you guys!See also: listen, up

stop, look, and listen

to exercise caution, especially at street corners and railroad crossings, by stopping, looking to the left and to the right, and listening for approaching vehicles or a train. Sally's mother trained her to stop, look, and listen at every street corner. It is a good practice to stop, look, and listen at a railroad crossing.See also: and, listen

listen in

1. Hear or overhear the conversation of others; eavesdrop. It is also put as listen in on, as in She listened in on her parents and learned they were planning a surprise party. [Early 1900s] 2. Tune in and listen to a broadcast, as in Were you listening in the other night when they played Beethoven's Fifth? [1920s] See also: listen

listen to reason

Pay heed to sensible advice or argument, as in We can't let him rush into that job-it's time he listened to reason. [Mid-1700s] See also: listen, reason

listen with half an ear

If you listen to someone or something with half an ear, you listen but do not give them your full attention. She listened to the news with half an ear as she cleaned the bathroom. Gigi listened with half an ear to Yussef and Bassil, who were talking about their school days.See also: ear, half, listen

listen with half an ear

not give your full attention to someone or something.See also: ear, half, listen

listen with half an ˈear

not listen with your full attention: I was watching television and listening with half an ear to what he was telling me. OPPOSITE: be all earsSee also: ear, half, listen

listen for

v. To listen attentively to hear some sound; wait expectantly to hear something or someone: Listen for the doorbell—the pizza should be here soon.See also: listen

listen in

v.1. To listen to something or to someone conversing without participating in the conversation: It is rude to listen in on other people's conversations. We put our ears to the door and listened in.2. To tune in and listen to a broadcast: Listen in next week to the conclusion of our jazz concert series!See also: listen

listen up

v. To pay attention closely; be attentive. Used chiefly as a command: Listen up—I'm only going to tell you this once! I want you to listen up and do what I tell you to do.See also: listen, up

I’m listening

sent. Keep talking.; Make your explanation now. I’m sure there’s an explanation. Well, I’m listening. See also: listen

listen up

in. to listen carefully. (Usually a command.) Now, listen up! This is important. See also: listen, up

listen up

Pay attention, listen carefully. This slangy imperative probably originated in the armed forces during World War II and soon entered the civilian vocabulary. William Safire used it in a quotation, “I’m only going to say this once, so listen up” (New York Times Magazine, Sept. 28, 1980).See also: listen, up

stop, look, and listen

Railroad crossing warning. Before the installation of gates and flashing lights, a road that crossed a railroad track had a post on which was an X. On the crossbars was written “stop look listen,” a phrase attributed to an anonymous engineer who through that immigrants who read only rudimentary English would be able to understand the three words and heed their warning. Now automatic devices warn motorists and pedestrians to be mindful of approaching trains.See also: and, listen

listen

lis·ten

listen

lis•ten

listen

listen

listen

listen

listen

listen

listen

talk to the hand

listen to reason

listen (to someone or something) with half an ear

listen out for (someone or something)

listen for (someone or something)

listen in (on someone or something)

listen up

stop, look, and listen

social listening

listen to

I'm listening

I'm listening.

listen for someone or something

listen in

listen to reason

listen to someone or something

listen up

stop, look, and listen

listen in

listen to reason

listen with half an ear

listen with half an ear

listen with half an ˈear

listen for

listen in

listen up

I’m listening

listen up

listen up

stop, look, and listen

LISTEN

listen

Synonyms for listen

verb hear

Synonyms

verb pay attention

Synonyms

phrase listen in on something

Synonyms

Synonyms for listen

verb to make an effort to hear something

Synonyms

verb to perceive by ear, usually attentively

Synonyms

Synonyms for listen

verb hear with intention

Related Words

verb listen and pay attention

Synonyms

Related Words

verb pay close attention to

Synonyms

Related Words