LISTEN

listen

(verb) hear with intention; “Listen to the sound of this cello”

listen, hear, take heed

(verb) listen and pay attention; “Listen to your father”; “We must hear the expert before we make a decision”

heed, mind, listen

(verb) pay close attention to; give heed to; “Heed the advice of the old men”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

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.

(intransitive) To expect or wait for a sound, such as a signal.

(intransitive) To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.

(transitive, archaic) To hear (something or someone), to pay attention to.

Usage notes

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.

Synonyms

• (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 listen

Antonyms

• (to pay attention): ignore

• (to accept advice or instruction): disobey, disregard

Coordinate terms

• speak

• talk

Noun

listen (plural listens)

An instance of listening.

Synonym: play (of recorded audio)

Anagrams

• ELINTs, SILENT, Teslin, enlist, inlets, leints, silent, tinsel

Source: Wiktionary

Lis"ten, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Listened; p. pr. & vb. n. Listening.] Etym: [OE. listnen, listen, lustnen, lusten, AS. hlystan; akin to hlyst hearing, OS. hlust, Icel. hlusta to listen, hlust ear, AS. hlosnian to wait in suspense, OHG. hlosen to listen, Gr. loud. sq. root41. See Loud, and cf. List to listen.]

1. To give close attention with the purpose of hearing; to give ear; to hearken; to attend. When we have occasion to listen, and give a more particular attention to same sound, the tympanum is drawn to a more than ordinary tension. Holder.

2. To give heed; to yield to advice; to follow admonition; to obey. Listen to me, and by me be ruled. Tennyson. To listen after, to take an interest in. [Obs.] Soldiers note forts, armories, and magazines; scholars listen after libraries, disputations, and professors. Fuller.

Syn.

– To attend; hearken. See Attend.

Lis"ten, v. t.

Definition: To attend to. [Obs.] Shak.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition