listen
See also: Listen
English[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Etymology[edit]
From Middle English listenen, listnen, alteration (due to Middle English listen (“to listen, give heed to”)) of Old English hlysnan (“to listen”), from Proto-Germanic *hlusnijaną, *hlusnōną (compare Middle High German lüsenen), from Proto-Germanic *hlusēną (compare Old High German hlosēn), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱlew- (“to hear”) (compare Ancient Greek κλαίω (klaíō, “I make known, famous”), Welsh clywed (“to hear”), Latin clueō (“I am famous”), Lithuanian klausýti, Old Church Slavonic слѹшати (slušati, “to hear”), Sanskrit श्रोषति (śróṣati). Related to loud.
Pronunciation[edit]
- enPR: lĭs'ən, lĭs'n, IPA(key): /ˈlɪs.ən/, [ˈlɪs.n̩]
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Audio (UK) (file) -
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɪsən
- Hyphenation: lis‧ten
Verb[edit]
listen (third-person singular simple present listens, present participle listening, simple past and past participle listened)
- (intransitive) To pay attention to a sound or speech.
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Please listen carefully as I explain. I like to listen to music.
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1922, Ben Travers, chapter 1, in A Cuckoo in the Nest[1]:
- He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.
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- (intransitive) To expect or wait for a sound, such as a signal.
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You should listen for the starting gun.
- 1906, Stanley J[ohn] Weyman, chapter I, in Chippinge Borough[2], New York, N.Y.: McClure, Phillips & Co., OCLC 580270828:
- It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street. […]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.
- 1912, Zane Grey, Riders of the Purple Sage, Chapter 4
- He reined Wrangle to a walk, halted now and then to listen, and then proceeded cautiously with shifting and alert gaze.
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- (intransitive) To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.
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Listen, the only reason I yelled at you was because I was upset, OK? Good children listen to their parents.
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1945 August 17, George Orwell, chapter 1, in Animal Farm: A Fairy Story, London: Secker & Warburg, OCLC 3655473:
- Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest […].
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- (transitive, archaic) To hear (something or someone), to pay attention to.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book XX:
- ‘But, sir, lyars ye have lystened, and that hath caused grete debate betwyxte you and me.’
- 1592, William Shakespeare, 1 Hen VI: v 3
- Lady, vouchsafe to listen what I say.
- 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte d'Arthur, Book XX:
Usage notes[edit]
In English, listen and hear are two primary verbs relating to audial perception. To hear represents automatic, unconscious, or passive perception of sound, while listen generally represents intentional, conscious, or purposeful use of the sense of hearing. The difference is expressed in the following quotation:
- As the silence took hold in the darkness, Sam realized that she had been hearing, though not listening to, various low-level sounds—the hum of air conditioning and life support, the pulse of some faraway oxygen pump, the faint buzz of the electrical and lighting systems. —Justin Richards (1999) Demontage, chapter 5, page 92.
A similar distinction exists between see and watch in English.
Quotations[edit]
- For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:listen.
Synonyms[edit]
- (to pay attention): attend, behear, give ear, hark, hear, heed, list, mind, note, pay attention
- (to expect or wait for a sound): await, anticipate, expect, wait for
- (to accept advice or instruction): agree, assent, hearken, mind, obey
- (to hear): hear, mind, heed
- See also Thesaurus:listen
Antonyms[edit]
Coordinate terms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Terms derived from listen
Related terms[edit]
Translations[edit]
to pay attention to a sound
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to expect or wait for a sound
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to accept advice or obey instruction
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to hear (something)
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See also[edit]
Anagrams[edit]
Danish[edit]
Noun[edit]
listen c
Dutch[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
-
Audio (file)
Noun[edit]
listen
- Plural form of list
Anagrams[edit]
German[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Pronunciation[edit]
Verb[edit]
listen (third-person singular simple present liste, past tense listete, past participle gelistet, auxiliary haben)
- to list
Conjugation[edit]
Conjugation of listen
| infinitive | listen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| present participle | listend | ||||
| past participle | gelistet | ||||
| auxiliary | haben | ||||
| indicative | subjunctive | ||||
| present | ich liste | wir listen | i | ich liste | wir listen |
| du listest | ihr listet | du listest | ihr listet | ||
| er listet | sie listen | er liste | sie listen | ||
| preterite | ich listete | wir listeten | ii | ich listete | wir listeten |
| du listetest | ihr listetet | du listetest | ihr listetet | ||
| er listete | sie listeten | er listete | sie listeten | ||
| imperative | liste (du) | listet (ihr) | |||
Composed forms of listen
| perfect | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| indicative | ich habe gelistet | wir haben gelistet | subjunctive | ich habe gelistet | wir haben gelistet |
| du hast gelistet | ihr habt gelistet | du habest gelistet | ihr habet gelistet | ||
| er hat gelistet | sie haben gelistet | er habe gelistet | sie haben gelistet | ||
| pluperfect | |||||
| indicative | ich hatte gelistet | wir hatten gelistet | subjunctive | ich hätte gelistet | wir hätten gelistet |
| du hattest gelistet | ihr hattet gelistet | du hättest gelistet | ihr hättet gelistet | ||
| er hatte gelistet | sie hatten gelistet | er hätte gelistet | sie hätten gelistet | ||
| future i | |||||
| infinitive | listen werden | subjunctive i | ich werde listen | wir werden listen | |
| du werdest listen | ihr werdet listen | ||||
| er werde listen | sie werden listen | ||||
| indicative | ich werde listen | wir werden listen | subjunctive ii | ich würde listen | wir würden listen |
| du wirst listen | ihr werdet listen | du würdest listen | ihr würdet listen | ||
| er wird listen | sie werden listen | er würde listen | sie würden listen | ||
| future ii | |||||
| infinitive | gelistet haben werden | subjunctive i | ich werde gelistet haben | wir werden gelistet haben | |
| du werdest gelistet haben | ihr werdet gelistet haben | ||||
| er werde gelistet haben | sie werden gelistet haben | ||||
| indicative | ich werde gelistet haben | wir werden gelistet haben | subjunctive ii | ich würde gelistet haben | wir würden gelistet haben |
| du wirst gelistet haben | ihr werdet gelistet haben | du würdest gelistet haben | ihr würdet gelistet haben | ||
| er wird gelistet haben | sie werden gelistet haben | er würde gelistet haben | sie würden gelistet haben | ||
Synonyms[edit]
Derived terms[edit]
Related terms[edit]
- Liste f
Norwegian Bokmål[edit]
Alternative forms[edit]
Noun[edit]
listen m, f
Spanish[edit]
Verb[edit]
listen
- Second-person plural (ustedes) imperative form of listar.
- Second-person plural (ustedes) present subjunctive form of listar.
- Third-person plural (ellos, ellas, also used with ustedes?) present subjunctive form of listar.
Swedish[edit]
Noun[edit]
listen
- definite singular of list
Categories:
- English terms inherited from Middle English
- English terms derived from Middle English
- English terms inherited from Old English
- English terms derived from Old English
- English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Germanic
- English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- English 2-syllable words
- English terms with IPA pronunciation
- English terms with audio links
- English lemmas
- English verbs
- English intransitive verbs
- English terms with usage examples
- English transitive verbs
- English terms with archaic senses
- English basic words
- en:Communication
- en:Hearing
- Danish non-lemma forms
- Danish noun forms
- Dutch terms with audio links
- Dutch non-lemma forms
- Dutch noun plural forms
- German words suffixed with -en
- German terms with IPA pronunciation
- German terms with homophones
- German lemmas
- German verbs
- German weak verbs
- Norwegian Bokmål non-lemma forms
- Norwegian Bokmål noun forms
- Spanish non-lemma forms
- Spanish verb forms
- Spanish forms of verbs ending in -ar
- Swedish non-lemma forms
- Swedish noun forms
