listener
noun
lis·ten·er
ˈli-sᵊn-ər 
ˈlis-nər
plural listeners
: one who listens to someone or something
a radio program with many listeners
a friend who's a good listener [=who listens attentively and sympathetically]
Fanny, being always a very courteous listener, and often the only listener at hand, came in for the complaints and distresses of most of them.—
Jane Austen
Jane AustenThe average concertgoer drifts in and out of the music, often losing the thread. The listener can't always hear the music in the music, and tends to notice only the most obvious (usually the loudest) events.—David Schiff
David Schiff
Examples of listener in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Through their testimony, listeners learned that this school had more than 100 cameras positioned throughout it.
—Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Hope brought up her guilty pleasure music after the hosts read listener messages revealing what people like to do when their partners are gone.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Spotify already has numerous ways for listeners to find music to listen to on its platform.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
As good as these announcers are, any listener can tell the difference.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Check out some Apple Podcasts fan reviews to see why so many listeners are leaving raving 5-star ratings—and get ready to dive into the Wondery world of business.
—Eda Yu, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
There is certainly evidence to support that: in its shutdown notice in September, Google cited a statistic from Edison Research that said about 23 percent of podcast listeners in the US say YouTube is their primary podcast platform, compared to 4 percent for Google Podcasts.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
In contrast to visual media, which competes with endless distractions, audio allows listeners to effectively engage, even while multitasking.
—Curt Steinhorst, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
With a whopping 27 tracks, the project gives listeners a lot to sink their teeth into.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
Robin Givhan, Washington Post, 9 Apr. 2024
Hope brought up her guilty pleasure music after the hosts read listener messages revealing what people like to do when their partners are gone.
—Shania Russell, EW.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Spotify already has numerous ways for listeners to find music to listen to on its platform.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 8 Apr. 2024
As good as these announcers are, any listener can tell the difference.
—Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Check out some Apple Podcasts fan reviews to see why so many listeners are leaving raving 5-star ratings—and get ready to dive into the Wondery world of business.
—Eda Yu, The Hollywood Reporter, 5 Apr. 2024
There is certainly evidence to support that: in its shutdown notice in September, Google cited a statistic from Edison Research that said about 23 percent of podcast listeners in the US say YouTube is their primary podcast platform, compared to 4 percent for Google Podcasts.
—David Pierce, The Verge, 2 Apr. 2024
In contrast to visual media, which competes with endless distractions, audio allows listeners to effectively engage, even while multitasking.
—Curt Steinhorst, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
With a whopping 27 tracks, the project gives listeners a lot to sink their teeth into.
—Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 29 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'listener.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
First Known Use
1572, in the meaning defined above
Dictionary Entries Near listener
Cite this Entry
“Listener.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listener. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
More from Merriam-Webster on listener
Nglish: Translation of listener for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of listener for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share