listen for
idiom
: to pay attention to sounds in order to hear (something expected)
We listened for (the sound of) his footsteps.
We saw lightning and listened for the thunder.
Examples of listen for in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
In addition to the guidance itself, investors should listen for the assumption that went into generating that guidance.
—
Zev Fima, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025
Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder.
—Bay Area Weather Report, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
Circle to Search can listen for audio sources to determine the name of a song—yet another long-available feature getting spruced up for the AI age.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2025
This is an essential listen for fans of SNL history — and nobody does it better than Brad and Gary!
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for listen for
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Zev Fima, CNBC, 18 Feb. 2025
Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder.
—Bay Area Weather Report, The Mercury News, 14 Feb. 2025
Circle to Search can listen for audio sources to determine the name of a song—yet another long-available feature getting spruced up for the AI age.
—Julian Chokkattu, WIRED, 22 Jan. 2025
This is an essential listen for fans of SNL history — and nobody does it better than Brad and Gary!
—Andy Hoglund, EW.com, 15 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for listen for
Cite this Entry
“Listen for.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/listen%20for. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share