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
Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder.
—
Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Along with these two normal sounds, doctors also listen for unusual noises – such as murmurs, extra beats or clicks – that can point to problems with how blood is flowing or whether the heart valves are working properly.
—Joshua Hutcheson, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
Unlocking quantum gravity Gravitational waves, which are ripples in the fabric of space-time first predicted by Einstein, are typically detected at low frequencies by observatories like LIGO and Virgo, which listen for signals from events such as black hole collisions.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for listen for
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Bay Area Weather Report, Mercury News, 22 Oct. 2025
Along with these two normal sounds, doctors also listen for unusual noises – such as murmurs, extra beats or clicks – that can point to problems with how blood is flowing or whether the heart valves are working properly.
—Joshua Hutcheson, The Conversation, 16 Oct. 2025
Unlocking quantum gravity Gravitational waves, which are ripples in the fabric of space-time first predicted by Einstein, are typically detected at low frequencies by observatories like LIGO and Virgo, which listen for signals from events such as black hole collisions.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2025
Monitor the sky for threatening signs and listen for the sound of thunder.
—Southern California Weather Report, Oc Register, 27 Sep. 2025
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 29 Oct. 2025.
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