How to Use listen for in a Sentence

listen for

idiom
Definition of listen fornext
  • Bring a friend, rep the Browns, and listen for the siren.
    — cleveland, 6 Jan. 2023
  • Here Watson shares four species to spot, what to look and listen for, and where best to find them.
    — Tracey Minkin, Southern Living, 12 July 2023
  • To find carvers in town, just listen for the piercing nails-on-a-blackboard sounds.
    — New York Times, 1 June 2022
  • Watch the clip below and listen for the roars of approval from football fans.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 May 2023
  • Watch the clip below and listen for the roars of approval from football fans.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 25 May 2023
  • What to look for The first thing to watch, or listen for, is the Overwatch League’s broadcasters.
    — Dallas News, 2 May 2022
  • Here’s a bit more on what coyotes sound like and some video clips to help give you an idea of what to listen for in the wild.
    — Jay Cassell, Field & Stream, 21 June 2023
  • If Padres pitchers don’t turn up the volume, listen for the sound of silence.
    — Nick Canepa Columnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Mar. 2022
  • Sonar buoys have been deployed in the water in an attempt to listen for the missing sub.
    — Emmet Lyons, Tucker Reals, CBS News, 19 June 2023
  • But don’t hold your breath for a certain song to make the setlist — instead, listen for new standouts, and keep an open mind.
    — Caitlin White, SPIN, 20 May 2022
  • The instructors are usually well-trained to talk you through the moves, so listen for their cues.
    — Shauna Harrison, SELF, 29 Sep. 2022
  • Rescue workers paused to listen for survivors in the dark.
    — CBS News, 15 Jan. 2023
  • Just listen for that sweet, steady gurgle to get interrupted by a pop or whoosh—and set the hook.
    — Joe Cermele, Field & Stream, 4 Jan. 2024
  • Rodrigo invited the audience to listen for the way the melody varies on that line as the song plays out.
    — Chris Willman, Variety, 10 Oct. 2023
  • Grouse surveyors drive on specified routes in spring and listen for the drums of male grouse.
    — Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 14 July 2022
  • Tap the top of the skin with the back of a knife or metal spatula, and listen for a decidedly hollow sound.
    — The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Try this: Clap your hands loudly in the middle of your room and listen for the decay—the audible echoing of that clapping sound.
    — Parker Hall, WIRED, 9 Mar. 2023
  • The fastest way to spot a liar is to listen for people who won't give direct and specific answers to your questions.
    — Mark Murphy, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2023
  • There’s no sign outside, so listen for the stimulating sounds of cumbia.
    — Cesar Hernandez, San Francisco Chronicle, 12 July 2022
  • Here are three things to listen for as Whitmer lays out policy goals in her 7 p.m. Wednesday speech.
    — Detroit Free Press, 24 Jan. 2023
  • The search-and-rescue teams call for everyone to hush, and cars turn their engines off while the searchers listen for voices under the rubble.
    — Nimet Kirac, New York Times, 10 Feb. 2023
  • Microwave Dave later became a go-to listen for macabre master Stephen King.
    — Matt Wake | Mwake@al.com, al, 11 Apr. 2023
  • And do yourself a favor and get outdoors to look and listen for birds this migration season.
    — Paul A. Smith, Journal Sentinel, 1 Sep. 2022
  • Petro showed the dashcam footage during her closing, encouraging the jury to listen for the shots.
    — Arkansas Online, 29 July 2022
  • To truly understand the draw of Swift, Gough’s message is simple: Take a listen for yourself.
    — Alli Rosenbloom, CNN, 11 Feb. 2024
  • You inhale mountain air so fresh as to be mythic, stalk trout, and listen for birdcalls and the rustle of a brown bear cub dawdling after its mother.
    — Tracey Minkin, Southern Living, 12 July 2023
  • What should leaders listen for to determine if a prospect is headed to a no-decision?
    — Julie Thomas, Forbes, 5 May 2023
  • Last month, a crowd gathered at the range to listen for the song of the Florida grasshopper sparrow—a faint chittering noise that evokes an insect’s buzz, giving the bird its name.
    — Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 17 July 2023
  • In the most general sense, Scarbrough and Blair would listen for balance among the different sections of the orchestra.
    — Rivka Galchen, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2022
  • For example, a single hydrophone mounted on a pipe near the center of MAS pokes out from the bottom of the ship to listen for songs of marine mammals like whales and dolphins.
    — Smithsonian Magazine, 2 Feb. 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'listen for.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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