/ ˈlɪsn; NAmE / verb , noun
■ verb [ v ]
1.
listen (to sb/sth) to pay attention to sb/sth that you can hear :
to listen to music
Listen! What's that noise? Can you hear it?
Sorry, I wasn't really listening.
I listened carefully to her story.
HELP NOTE : You cannot 'listen sth' (without 'to'):
I'm fond of listening to classical music.
I'm fond of listening classical music.
2.
listen (to sb/sth) to take notice of what sb says to you so that you follow their advice or believe them :
None of this would have happened if you'd listened to me.
Why won't you listen to reason ?
3.
( informal ) used to tell sb to take notice of what you are going to say :
Listen, there's something I have to tell you.
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PHRASAL VERBS
- listen (out) for sth
- listen in (on / to sth)
- listen up
■ noun
[ usually sing. ] an act of listening :
Have a listen to this.
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WORD ORIGIN
Old English hlysnan pay attention to , of Germanic origin.