listen in

lis·ten  (lsn)

intr.v. lis·tened, lis·ten·ing, lis·tens

1. To make an effort to hear something: listen to the radio; listening for the bell.

2. To pay attention; heed: "She encouraged me to listen carefully to what country people called mother wit" (Maya Angelou).

n.

An act of listening: Would you like to give the CD a listen before buying it?

Phrasal Verb:

listen in

1. To listen to a conversation between others; eavesdrop.

2. To tune in and listen to a broadcast.

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[Middle English listenen, alteration (influenced by listen, to list, listen; see list⁴) of Old English hlysnan; see kleu- in Indo-European roots.]

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listen·er n.

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listen in

vb (intr, adverb; often foll by to)

1. to listen to the radio

2. (Electronics & Computer Science / Communications & Information) to intercept radio communications

3. to listen but not contribute (to a discussion), esp surreptitiously

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	listen in - listen quietly, without contributing to the conversation listen - hear with intention; "Listen to the sound of this cello"
	2.	listen in - listen without the speaker's knowledge; "the jealous man was eavesdropping on his wife's conversations" eavesdrop listen - hear with intention; "Listen to the sound of this cello" wiretap, bug, intercept, tap - tap a telephone or telegraph wire to get information; "The FBI was tapping the phone line of the suspected spy"; "Is this hotel room bugged?"

Translations

? listen in

vi → (im Radio) hören (→ to sth etw acc); (= listen secretly) → mithören (→ on sth etw acc); I’d like to listen in on or to your discussion → ich möchte mir Ihre Diskussion mit anhören