hearken

verb

heark·​en ˈhär-kən How to pronounce hearken (audio)
variants or harken
hearkened or harkened; hearkening ˈhär-kə-niŋ How to pronounce hearken (audio)
ˈhärk-niŋ
or harkening

intransitive verb

1
: listen
hearkened without much mental commentTheodore Dreiser
2
: to give respectful attention
the humble folk who hearkened to these evangelistsG. M. Stephenson
3
: to bring to mind something in the past : hearken back
Portrayals of dinosaurs with lizard-like tongues hearken to early interpretations of the beasts as oversized lizards.Mindy Weisberger

transitive verb

archaic : to give heed to : hear

Examples of hearken in a Sentence

hearken! I hear the distant beat of the hooves of many horses
Recent Examples on the Web The breezy, two-minute songs on Mixtape Pluto are a sharp contrast not only from the narcotic, hypnotic vibe-outs of his studio albums, but even the classic mixtapes this hearkens to. Christopher R. Weingarten, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2024 Design elements such as rustic reclaimed oak floors and timber framing hearken to that bygone era. Caitlin Palumbo, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024 Masterpiece Theater Climate activist attacks on works by van Gogh, Vermeer, and other art world titans are the latest in a tradition of destruction that hearkens to the early Christian zealots. JSTOR Daily, 24 June 2024 Alex Kent / Getty Images In the eyes of some activists, the tumult at Columbia this week hearkens to more recent protest movements. Daniel Arkin, NBC News, 1 May 2024 See all Example Sentences for hearken 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hearken.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English herknen, from Old English heorcnian; akin to Old High German hōrechen to listen, Old English hīeran to hear

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of hearken was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near hearken

Cite this Entry

“Hearken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearken. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

hearken

verb
hear·​ken
ˈhär-kən
hearkened; hearkening
ˈhärk-(ə-)niŋ

More from Merriam-Webster on hearken

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