Listen — meaning, pronunciation & more

Definition

hear with intention

listen and pay attention

Pronunciation

🇺🇸American English

/lˈɪsən/

🇬🇧British English

/lˈɪsən/

🇮🇳Indian English

/lˈɪsən/

2 syllables Say it as /lˈɪsən/.

Examples

Listen to the sound of this cello
Listen to your father
We must hear the expert before we make a decision

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

mind take heed heed hear

Parts of Speech

verb	hear with intention “Listen to the sound of this cello”
verb	listen and pay attention “Listen to your father”
verb	pay close attention to; give heed to “Heed the advice of the old men”

Word Forms

listener	noun	someone who listens attentively
listening	noun	the act of hearing attentively
hearer	noun	someone who listens attentively
hearing	noun	the act of hearing attentively
heed	noun	paying particular notice (as to children or helpless people)
mind	noun	attention

Around the World

Europe

🇩🇪German

Hören

mit Absicht hören

🇫🇷French

écouter

entendre avec intention

🇪🇸Spanish

escuchar

escuchar con intención

🇮🇹Italian

Ascoltare

ascoltare con intenzione

🇳🇱Dutch

luisteren

hoor met intentie

🇵🇹Portuguese

ouvir

ouvir com intenção

🇷🇺Russian

слушать

слушать с намерением

India

🇮🇳Hindi

सुनना

इरादे से सुनो

🇧🇩Bengali

শুনুন

ইচ্ছা করে শুনুন

🇮🇳Tamil

கேளுங்கள்

நோக்கத்துடன் கேளுங்கள்

🇮🇳Telugu

వినండి

ఉద్దేశ్యంతో వినండి

🇮🇳Marathi

ऐका

हेतूने ऐका

🇮🇳Gujarati

સાંભળો

ઇરાદા સાથે સાંભળો

🇮🇳Kannada

ಕೇಳು

ಉದ್ದೇಶದಿಂದ ಕೇಳು

🇮🇳Malayalam

കേൾക്കുക

ഉദ്ദേശത്തോടെ കേൾക്കുക

🇮🇳Punjabi

ਸੁਣੋ

ਇਰਾਦੇ ਨਾਲ ਸੁਣੋ

🇵🇰Urdu

سنو

نیت سے سنو

East & Southeast Asia

🇨🇳Chinese

听

有目的地听

🇯🇵Japanese

聞く

意図を持って聞く

🇰🇷Korean

듣다

의도적으로 듣는다

🇻🇳Vietnamese

Nghe

nghe có chủ ý

🇹🇭Thai

ฟัง

ได้ยินด้วยความตั้งใจ

🇮🇩Indonesian

mendengarkan

mendengar dengan niat

🇵🇭Filipino

makinig ka

marinig nang may intensyon

🇲🇾Malay

dengar

dengar dengan niat

Middle East

🇸🇦Arabic

يستمع

نسمع بالنية

🇮🇷Persian

گوش کن

با نیت بشنو

🇹🇷Turkish

Dinlemek

niyetle duymak

🇮🇱Hebrew

לְהַקְשִׁיב

לשמוע מתוך כוונה

Test Yourself1 / 3

What is the primary definition of the word 'listen'?

The primary meaning of 'listen' is 'hear with intention'.

Which of the following sentences uses the word 'listen' in a grammatically correct way?

Using 'listen' in a noun/adjective form makes the first sentence correct.

In which domain is the word 'listen' most likely to appear as standard vocabulary?

'listen' is a standard word used primarily in general literature and formal communications.

Community Poll1 / 6

How often do you encounter the word 'listen' in your daily reading?

Very Often

Occasionally

Rarely

Never

Do you find 'listen' easy to spell?

Yes, very easy

Somewhat easy

A bit confusing

Extremely hard

In your opinion, does the word 'listen' have a positive, neutral, or gloomy tone?

Positive

Neutral

Gloomy

Vibrant

Which age group is most likely to use 'listen' in regular conversations?

Kids (3-12)

Teens (13-19)

Adults (20-60)

Seniors (60+)

How likely are you to use 'listen' in a professional email?

Very likely

Somewhat likely

Not very likely

Never

Would you classify 'listen' as formal, casual, or slang?

Formal

Casual

Slang

Archaic

Pick an option to see how others voted