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hearken

or hark·en

[ hahr-kuh n ]

/ ˈhɑr kən /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR hearken ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object)

Literary. to give heed or attention to what is said; listen.

verb (used with object)

Archaic. to listen to; hear.

Origin of hearken

1150–1200; Middle English hercnen, Old English he(o)rcnian, suffixed form of assumed *heorcian; see hark, -en¹

OTHER WORDS FROM hearken

heark·en·er, noun

Words nearby hearken

hearing dog, hearing impairment, hearing loss, hearing-ear dog, hearing-impaired, hearken, hearn, hearsay, hearsay evidence, hearsay rule, hearse

Example sentences from the Web for hearken

Hearken to the bleating of newborn two-headed freak candidacy lambs.

PJ’s Political Forecast: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatheads |P. J. O’Rourke |March 14, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
And hearken to this latest warning by Kevin Sabet: cigarettes are legal, yet organized crime syndicates still smuggle them.

Let's Have a Smarter Approach to Marijuana |David Frum |January 28, 2013 |DAILY BEAST
I hope you'll find it entertaining, but even more that you'll hearken to its message.

"Patriots" Goes Live Today |David Frum |April 30, 2012 |DAILY BEAST
The king had no heart to hearken longer, but betook him straightway to his bed; cause enow had he for woe, or so it seemed him!

Sir Gawain and the Lady of Lys |Anonymous

But the Senator from Maine says he is unwilling to hearken to suggestions from foreign nations.

Charles Sumner; his complete works, volume 7 (of 20) |Charles Sumner
But the multitude advised him to hearken to none of his proposals, but to despise him, and be in readiness to fight him.

The Antiquities of the Jews |Flavius Josephus
I call upon others to join me, in order to make a company apart, but no one will hearken to me.

Life and Correspondence of David Hume, Volume I (of 2) |John Hill Burton
But the empresse and hir brother would not hearken to any agréement, except that the realme Geruasius Dorober.

Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (4 of 12) |Raphael Holinshed

British Dictionary definitions for hearken

hearken

sometimes US harken

/ (ˈhɑːkən) /

verb

archaic to listen to (something)

Derived forms of hearken

hearkener, noun

Word Origin for hearken

Old English heorcnian; see hark