Meanings
present singular third person listens up · participle present listening up · participle past listened up · past listened up
- idiomaticimperativeinformaloftenpotentially derogatoryTo listen closely; to pay attention.
I'm only gonna say this once, so you really need to listen up.
2 more examples
His sharp eyes scanned the faces of his charges. "Listen up!" he barked.
1933, Eddie Dooley, Under the Goal PostsListen up brothers and sisters, come hear my desperate tale. / I speak of our friends of nature, trapped in the dirt like a jail.
1994, “Carrot Juice Is Murder”, in Russell's Shorts, performed by The Arrogant WormsSynonyms: give ear, lend an ear, hear ye
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo listen closely; to pay attention.
Origin
From listen + up. First use appears c. 1933, although the exact date of its first use is uncertain. See cite below.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Danish høre efter
- høre efterTranslations
Spanish escuchar
- escucharTranslations
Cite this entry
listen up. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/listen%20up
“listen up.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/listen%20up. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “listen up,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/listen%20up.
Source: listen up on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.