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
As one of the top brands in audio, Beats delivers premium sound quality and battery life to listen for hours straight.
—
Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
As Potter emphasized to me recently, LuSEE-Night won’t listen for a signal from Dark Ages hydrogen directly.
—Harry Goldstein, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Feb. 2026
Leaders who learn to listen for what is not being said gain access to their most valuable resource.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2026
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Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 3 Feb. 2026
As Potter emphasized to me recently, LuSEE-Night won’t listen for a signal from Dark Ages hydrogen directly.
—Harry Goldstein, IEEE Spectrum, 1 Feb. 2026
Leaders who learn to listen for what is not being said gain access to their most valuable resource.
—Benjamin Laker, Forbes.com, 20 Jan. 2026
Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder.
—Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 4 Jan. 2026
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 16 Feb. 2026.
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