Action of the verb listening
"She nodded while listening, waiting for him to finish his story before responding."
In plain English: Listening is the act of paying attention to what someone else is saying.
"She rewarded him with praise for his excellent listening during the meeting."
Usage: Listening is the act of paying attention to sounds or speech rather than merely hearing them passively. Use this noun when describing the specific behavior of focusing on what someone else says, such as "active listening improves communication."
present participle of listen
"The teacher asked for quiet so everyone could concentrate on listening to the instructions without distraction."
In plain English: Listening means paying close attention to what someone is saying so you can understand them.
"She sat quietly and listened to her friend tell her story."
Usage: Listening describes the active process of paying close attention to what someone is saying, not merely hearing the sound. Use this term when you are intentionally focusing on understanding a speaker's words rather than just perceiving noise.
Of something or someone that listens.
"The dog sat quietly, listening to his owner call him from across the yard."
"She has very listening ears that catch every sound in the room."
Usage: The adjective listening describes an instrument (such as headphones) designed to receive sound, not the act of hearing itself. Do not confuse this with the present participle used in continuous tenses; it is typically found only after nouns like "headphones" rather than modifying people or actions directly.
The word listening comes from the Middle English form listnynge, which was derived from the Old English verb meaning "to hearken." It entered modern usage as a straightforward present participle of the common verb to listen.