verb
listen
LIH-suhn
verb
1
To pay attention with your ears in order to hear something.
"She listened carefully to the instructions before starting the test."
"I love listening to music while I work."
2
To take someone's advice or do what they say.
"If he had listened to his doctor, he wouldn't be in the hospital now."
How to Use Listen
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishUsing your ears on purpose, or taking someone's advice.
Common mistake
Listen means paying attention to sound; hear just means the sound reaches your ears whether or not you're paying attention — you can hear noise without listening to it.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
listen carefully
listen to reason
listen up
Word Forms
listened past tense, listens plural, listens singular
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She _____ carefully to the instructions before starting the test.
Etymology
From Old English hlysnan ("to listen"), from a Proto-Germanic root related to hearing — distantly connected to the modern word loud.