Meanings
listening1
- not comparableOf something or someone that listens.
Any listening person can tell she's lying.
- not comparableOf 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.
- not comparableOf 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.
1912 January, Zane Grey, chapter 5, in Riders of the Purple Sage […], New York, N.Y.; London: Harper & Brothers Publishers, →OCLC
- gerundparticiplepresentpresent participle and gerund of listen
1 more example
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 in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers.
1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter X, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC
listening2
plural listenings
- An act by which something or somebody is listened to.
This symphony grows on me more and more with each listening.
1 more example
It is an album that rewards multiple listenings.
2010 May 3, Michael Senior, “CD Review: Massive Attack, "Heligoland"”, in The Oklahoman, archived from the original on 03 Jan 2024 - 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.
Synonyms & antonyms
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
listening · adjective, verb
- Old Englishhlysnende
- Middle Englishlistnynge
- Englishlistening
From Middle English listnynge, lustninde, from Old English hlysnende, equivalent to listen + -ing.
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →listening · noun
- Middle Englishlistnynge
- Englishlistening
From Middle English listnynge, lustnynge, lystenynge, equivalent to listen + -ing.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ἀκρόασις
- ἀκρόασις (akróasis)act by which something or somebody is listened to
Arabic اِسْتِمَاع
- اِسْتِمَاع (istimāʕ)act by which something or somebody is listened to
Chinese Mandarin 聆聽 /聆听
- 聆聽 /聆听 (língtīng)act by which something or somebody is listened to
Dutch luisteren, luisteren
- luisterenact by which something or somebody is listened to
- luisterenability of perceiving spoken language
Finnish kuunteleva, kuulo-
- kuuntelevaof something that listens
- kuulo-of something that is used in order to hear
- varovainenof an action that is performed with caution and attention to sounds
- kuunteluact by which something or somebody is listened to
- kuullun ymmärtäminenability of perceiving spoken language
French écoute
- écouteact by which something or somebody is listened to
German Zuhören
- Zuhörenact by which something or somebody is listened to
Indonesian kemampuan mendengar, kemampuan menyimak
- kemampuan mendengarability of perceiving spoken language
- kemampuan menyimakability of perceiving spoken language
Japanese 聴取, リスニング
- 聴取 (chōshu)act by which something or somebody is listened to
- リスニング (risuningu)act by which something or somebody is listened to
- 聞くこと (kiku koto)act by which something or somebody is listened to
Korean 듣기, 청취
- 듣기 (deutgi)act by which something or somebody is listened to
- 청취 (cheongchwi)act by which something or somebody is listened to
Latin auditus
- auditusact by which something or somebody is listened to
Norwegian Bokmål lytting
- lyttingact by which something or somebody is listened to
Russian слу́шание, прослу́шивание
- слу́шание (slúšanije)act by which something or somebody is listened to
- прослу́шивание (proslúšivanije)act by which something or somebody is listened to
- ауди́рование (audírovanije)ability of perceiving spoken language
Spanish escucha, escucha
- escuchaact by which something or somebody is listened to
- escuchaability of perceiving spoken language
Ukrainian слу́хання, прослухо́вування
- слу́хання (slúxannja)act by which something or somebody is listened to
- прослухо́вування (prosluxóvuvannja)act by which something or somebody is listened to
Cite this entry
listening. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/listening
“listening.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/listening. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “listening,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/listening.
Source: listening on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.