An instance of listening.
"She paused to listen for a moment before answering the question on the phone."
"He held his breath to listen for any sound from inside the house."
Usage: Do not use "listen" as a noun to mean an act of hearing; instead, use the singular noun "listening" or the phrase "a listen" only in informal contexts like "give it a listen." In standard writing, keep "listen" strictly as a verb.
To pay attention to a sound or speech.
"She stopped talking so I could listen to the faint ticking of the clock in the hallway."
In plain English: To listen means to pay attention to what someone is saying.
"I need to listen carefully to what my friend is saying."
Usage: To listen means to give your full attention to what someone is saying or to a specific sound. You must actively focus on the audio rather than just hearing it passively for the word to be used correctly.
The word "listen" comes from the Middle English alteration of the Old English verb hlysnan, which originally meant "to listen." This term traveled into English through Germanic languages and ultimately traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to hear."