The meanings of 'listen'

Here are some synonyms for listen:  

Accept, admit, attend, get, observe, take notice, welcome, get a load of, hang on words, notice, mind, monitor, obey, give heed to, take advice, take into consideration, take under advisement, devote oneself.

And here are some antonyms:

Deny, dispute, ignore, miss, refuse, reject, disobey, forget, neglect, turn away, speak, talk.

There seem to be two sorts of meanings - one that's about attention - close attention, focus, acknowledgement, observation (which blends over into the visual).

Then a set of meanings that are about obedience, following, taking the advice - 'listen to me' - 'I'll teach you to listen'. We also say things like:  ‘listen to yourself,’ ‘listen to your body’, ‘listen to your gut’.

Listening is not just about hearing, not just about sound. We use it to mean paying attention, taking something seriously. So it's hearing and not hearing, and more than hearing. It's looking, perhaps feeling - feeling the emotion, the atmosphere, reading the situation. It's not just emotional - it's making sense of, in multiple ways - logical, rational, emotional, physical. It's about noticing, taking note. Using the body, using ALL of the senses.

We say, ‘Did you hear about?’ – we don't say 'did you see about' - even if you read it, or saw it. So listening is about knowing, being aware, taking in.

But there is also a relational aspect here. It's listening to something but most importantly, someone. ‘Lend an ear’, ‘obey’, 'give an audience to' - it implies there is someone or many someones, who are being listened to. The antonyms make it even clearer. Not to listen is to turn away, neglect, ignore, reject and refuse.

Listening to another involves a giving, a paying, a contribution, contributing. Not listening is a denial, a withholding, a pushing away.