listen

verb

1. To use one's sense of hearing and auditory cognition in an intentional way; to make deliberate use of one's ears; to pay attention to or wait for a specific sound.

   “Please listen carefully as I explain.”

   “I could hear you talking upstairs, but I didn’t really listen to your conversation.”

   “It was April 22, 1831, and a young man was walking down Whitehall in the direction of Parliament Street.[…]. He halted opposite the Privy Gardens, and, with his face turned skywards, listened until the sound of the Tower guns smote again on the ear and dispelled his doubts.”

   “He reined Wrangle to a walk, halted now and then to listen, and then proceeded cautiously with shifting and alert gaze.”

   “He read the letter aloud. Sophia listened with the studied air of one for whom, even in these days, a title possessed some surreptitious allurement.”

2. (intransitive)To accept advice or obey instruction; to agree or assent.

   “Listen, the only reason I yelled at you was because I was upset, OK?”

   “Good children listen to their parents.”

   “Never listen when they tell you that Man and the animals have a common interest[…].”

noun

1. An instance of listening.

   “Give the motor a listen and tell me if it sounds off.”

   “The diss song, “Back to Back,” now has more than 124 million listens, a sign that the streaming can attract a sizable audience for a single track.”

   “I hadn't spoken to her in a year, but she could still see my listens on the music platform we both used.”