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

The 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

Examples of listener in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The month before, Stern played into the rumors by having Cohen greet his listeners for the Monday morning show following Stern's long summer break. —Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Dec. 2025

While naysayers and doubters reveled in jeering at the genre’s valleys, an eclectic coalition of younger artists and listeners has ushered in what’s hopefully the first of many peaks to come for R&B, in the 2020s and beyond. —Kyle Denis, Billboard, 16 Dec. 2025

Capping it all off, Stern enlisted Andy Cohen to prank his listeners on his return show. —Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Dec. 2025

The feedback is immediate, and oral stories can spark spontaneous ideas that move listeners and stir up their resolve to act. —Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above