listening
English · Thesaurus
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listening¹
- /ˈlɪs.nɪŋ/
- /ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ/
Where it comes from
From Middle English listnynge, lustninde, from Old English hlysnende, equivalent to listen + -ing.
adjective
- Of something or someone that listens. Any listening person can tell she's lying.
- Of something that is used in order to hear or to improve the ability to hear. He could hear better when he used his listening device.
- Of an action that is performed with caution and attention to sounds. The safest cover lay close under the wall of the cañon, and here through the dense thickets Venters made his slow, listening advance toward the oval.
verb
- present participle and gerund of listen It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and
listening²
- /ˈlɪs.nɪŋ/
- /ˈlɪs.ə.nɪŋ/
Where it comes from
From Middle English listnynge, lustnynge, lystenynge, equivalent to listen + -ing.
noun listenings
- An act by which something or somebody is listened to. This symphony grows on me more and more with each listening.
- An educational exercise involving listening. OK, students, today we're going to do a couple of listenings about the environment, then a reading about crime.
- Skill or ability of perceiving spoken language. You can improve your listening well by watching English-language films.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: attentive, hearing, eavesdropping, viewing, watching, heed, attention, understood, responsive, understanding, hear, receiving, reception, receive, surveillance, witnessing
Translations
Every language
noun act by which something or somebody is listened to
| Español | escucha |
|---|---|
| 한국어 | 듣기 deutgi, 청취 cheongchwi |
| 日本語 | 聴取 chōshu, リスニング risuningu, 聞くこと kiku koto |
| 中文 | 聆聽 /聆听 língtīng |
| Français | écoute |
| Deutsch | Zuhören |
| Русский | слу́шание slúšanije, прослу́шивание proslúšivanije |
| العربية | اِسْتِمَاع istimāʕ |
noun ability of perceiving spoken language
| Español | escucha |
|---|---|
| Русский | ауди́рование audírovanije |
Talk about this word "listening." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/listening. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. listening. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/listening "listening." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/listening.Cite this
@misc{listening_2026,
title = {listening},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/listening},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
