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listen in

lis·ten in
L l

Transcription

    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • UK Pronunciation
    • UK IPA
    • [lis-uh n in]
    • /ˈlɪs ən ɪn/
    • /ˈlɪsn ɪn/
    • US Pronunciation
    • US IPA
    • [lis-uh n in]
    • /ˈlɪs ən ɪn/

Definitions of listen in words

  • verb without object listen in to give attention with the ear; attend closely for the purpose of hearing; give ear. 1
  • verb without object listen in to pay attention; heed; obey (often followed by to): Children don't always listen to their parents. 1
  • verb without object listen in to wait attentively for a sound (usually followed by for): to listen for sounds of their return. 1
  • verb without object listen in Informal. to convey a particular impression to the hearer; sound: The new recording doesn't listen as well as the old one. 1
  • verb with object listen in Archaic. to give ear to; hear. 1
  • phrasal verb listen in If you listen in to a private conversation, you secretly listen to it. 0

Information block about the term

Origin of listen in

First appearance:

before 950
One of the 4% oldest English words
before 950; Middle English lis(t)nen, Old English hlysnan; cognate with Middle High German lüsenen, Swedish lyssna; akin to list5

Historical Comparancy

Parts of speech for Listen in

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation

listen in popularity

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 94% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.
Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

listen in usage trend in Literature

This diagram is provided by Google Ngram Viewer

Synonyms for listen in

verb listen in

  • spy — a person employed by a government to obtain secret information or intelligence about another, usually hostile, country, especially with reference to military or naval affairs.
  • tap — Telocator Alphanumeric Protocol
  • eavesdrop — to listen secretly to a private conversation.
  • wiretap — an act or instance of tapping telephone or telegraph wires for evidence or other information.
  • overhear — to hear (speech or a speaker) without the speaker's intention or knowledge: I accidentally overheard what they were saying.

Antonyms for listen in

verb listen in

  • ignore — to refrain from noticing or recognizing: to ignore insulting remarks.
  • reply — followup
  • forget — to cease or fail to remember; be unable to recall: to forget someone's name.
  • neglect — to pay no attention or too little attention to; disregard or slight: The public neglected his genius for many years.
  • answer — When you answer someone who has asked you something, you say something back to them.

See also

Matching words

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