- 1[countable] either of the organs on the sides of the head that you hear with an ear infection the inner/outer ear She whispered something in his ear. He put his hands over his ears. She had her ears pierced. The elephant flapped its ears. He was always there with a sympathetic ear (= a willingness to listen to people). see cauliflower ear, middle ear
- 2-eared (in adjectives) having the type of ears mentioned a long-eared owl
- 3[singular] an ability to recognize and copy sounds well She has always had an ear for languages. You need a good ear to master the piano.
- 4[countable] the top part of a grain plant, such as wheat, that contains the seeds ears of corn Idioms
- 1(of an animal, especially a horse or dog) to raise the ears
- 2(also your ears prick up) (of a person) to listen carefully, especially because you have just heard something interesting Her ears pricked up at the sound of his name. I walked along, ears pricked for the slightest noise.
to be waiting with interest to hear what someone has to say “Do you know what he said?” “Go on—I'm all ears.”
to talk to someone a lot about something, especially about a problem that you have
to be forced to leave (a job, etc.)
to have a lot of something to deal with We're up to our ears in work.
to hit someone with your hand on the side of their head as a punishment
to look at or listen to someone or something carefully and with a lot of attention
someone hears about something, especially when other people already know about it News of his affair eventually reached her ears.
a person thinks that other people are talking about them, especially in an unkind way “I bumped into your ex-wife last night.” “I thought I could feel my ears burning!”
pleasant to listen to or look at The room was painted in soft pastels that were easy on the eye.
to be ignored or not noticed by other people Her advice fell on deaf ears.
to think or imagine that other people are talking about you
(of information, etc.) to be forgotten quickly Everything I tell them just goes in one ear and out the other.
to have a lot of something, especially more than you need That man has money coming out of his ears.
to be able to give someone advice, influence them, etc. because they trust you He had the ear of the president.
to be quick to notice or hear things
to make sure that you always find out about the most recent developments in a particular situation The agent had no suitable properties available, but promised to keep an ear to the ground for us.
to listen in a patient and sympathetic way to someone
to succeed in making something good out of material that does not seem very good at all
news or information that you are very pleased to hear
to be very surprised at something you hear/see I couldn't believe my eyes when she walked in.
to play music by remembering how it sounds rather than by reading it
to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops rather than by having a plan to follow I'm not sure how many people are coming—we'll just have to play it by ear. I don't know what they'll want when they arrive—we'll have to play it by ear.
to make you feel that you can still hear something His warning was still ringing in my ears.
to refuse to listen to something She decided to shut her ears to all the rumors.
to be smiling, etc. a lot because you are very pleased about something
to ignore or refuse to listen to someone or something He turned a deaf ear to the rumors.
used to warn people to be careful what they say because other people may be listening
young and without much experience synonym naive He was still wet behind the ears, politically.
without giving your full attention to what is being said, etc.
Check pronunciation: ear