Synonyms for listen
All synonyms
Verb
1. Heed — to use one's sense of hearing and auditory cognition in an intentional way; to make deliberate use of one's…
hear, heed, take heed, hearken, harken US, lend an ear, mind, obey, pay attention, note, await, give ear dated, attend dated, hark dated
Other
eavesdrop, list formal dated, auscultate rare
Definitions
- v. 1
To use one's sense of hearing and auditory cognition in an intentional way; to make deliberate use of one's ears; to pay attention to or wait for a specific sound.
Please listen carefully as I explain.
Related words
- Word family
- listenable listener listenership listening list
- Phrases
- listen in listen up have a listen take a listen
- Is a kind of
- hear pay attention
Forms
- Past participle
- listened
e.g. listened → heard, heeded, hearkened, minded…
Choose the right word
Between listen and hear is a difference like that between the words look and see. (Compare synonyms for LOOK.) To hear is simply to become conscious of sound, to listen is to make a conscious effort or endeavor to hear.
J. C. Fernald, English Synonyms and Antonyms (1914)
Example sentences
- heed Everyone must heed what the United Nations says.
- hearken Tom would hearken back to his childhood when he heard the birdsong.
- eavesdrop I never eavesdrop on other people's conversations.
By length
- 4 letters
- mind1, list1, hear1, note1, obey2, heed1, hark1
- 5 letters
- await2
- 6 letters
- attend2, harken2
- 7 letters
- hearken
- 9 letters
- eavesdrop2
- 10 letters
- auscultate
The small number after each word is its number of syllables (obey2 = 2 syllables).