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

With more than 2 million monthly listeners on Spotify, Conjunto Rienda Real is among the acts leading the charge. —Fidel Martinez, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2025

Plus, listeners get discounts and early access deals on new releases. —Christopher Murray, Fox News, 6 Mar. 2025

About 31% of U.S. weekly podcast listeners choose YouTube as their preferred service over Spotify (27%) and Apple Podcasts (15%), per Edison Podcast Metrics research released last October. —Todd Spangler, Variety, 6 Mar. 2025

President's Address Will Celebrate It | Opinion The State of the Union Is up to Us | Opinion While the Democrats were melting down, President Trump outlined his early triumphs and provided a vision of hope and prosperity that any objective listener would agree is the essence of America's virtues. —Russel Honoré, Newsweek, 5 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1572, in the meaning defined above