listen-in

lis·ten-in

L l

Definitions of listen-in word

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

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

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

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".