Word
ear
US/ˈiɹ/
UK/ˈiə/
Definitions
01body part
n. the part of the head that you use for hearing.
n. the organ of hearing in humans and vertebrates, specifically the external part or the entire internal mechanism.
“She whispered the secret directly into his ear so no one else could hear.”
“The doctor used an otoscope to examine the patient's inner ear for signs of infection or inflammation.”
Synonyms
02ability to hear or appreciate sound
n. the ability to hear well or to notice and enjoy specific sounds like music.
n. the faculty of hearing or the sensitive appreciation of musical tone and rhythm.
“He has a great ear for music and can play any song after hearing it once.”
“The conductor's exceptional ear allowed him to detect a single slightly flat note among the sixty-piece orchestra.”
Synonyms
03attention
n. the act of listening to someone or giving them your attention.
n. favourable attention or the opportunity to be heard by someone in power.
“The diplomat finally gained the king's ear and explained the crisis.”
“Having the CEO's ear gave the young manager a distinct advantage when proposing radical changes to the company's structure.”
04part of a grain plant
n. the top part of a cereal plant, like corn or wheat, that contains the seeds.
n. the fruiting spike of a cereal plant, including the kernels and their protective coverings.
“We bought several ears of fresh corn from the farm stand for the barbecue.”
“The late summer heat caused the ears of wheat to ripen faster than the farmers had originally anticipated.”
05handle or projection
n. a small handle or part that sticks out from an object, often used for holding it.
n. a decorative or functional projection on an object, such as a lug or a handle on a cup.
“The old soup pot had a small metal ear on each side for lifting.”
“The architect specified that the acroterium should be positioned precisely above the ear of the classical pediment.”
Technical
Synonyms
06informant
n. a person who listens secretly and gives information to the police.
n. a person who acts as an informant or spy, particularly one who provides information to law enforcement.
“The gang suspected there was an ear in the room when the police arrived.”
“The detective relied on a network of ears in the underworld to track the movement of stolen goods across the border.”
Slang
07to hear
v. to listen to or take in information with your ears.
v. to perceive by the ear; used as a playful or non-standard transitive verb for hearing.
“Did you ear what the teacher just said about the homework?”
“He leaned in close, jokingly asking his friend to ear the latest gossip from the office.”
Humorous
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Proto-Germanic *ausô Proto-West Germanic *auʀā Old English ēare Middle English ere English ear From Middle English ere, eare, from Old English ēare (“ear”), from Proto-West Germanic auʀā, from the voiced Verner alternant of Proto-Germanic ausô (“ear”) (compare Scots ere, er, eir, West Frisian ear, Dutch oor, German Ohr, Swedish öra, Danish øre), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws (compare Old Irish áu, Latin auris, Lithuanian ausi̇̀s, Russian у́хо (úxo), Albanian vesh, Ancient Greek οὖς (oûs), and Old Armenian ունկն (unkn).
From Middle English eere, er, from Old English ēar (Northumbrian dialect æhher), from Proto-West Germanic ahaʀ, from Proto-Germanic ahaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂eḱ- (“sharp”). See also West Frisian ier, Dutch aar, German Ähre; also Latin acus (“needle; husk”), Tocharian B āk (“ear, awn”), Old Church Slavonic ость (ostĭ, “wheat spike, sharp point”). More at edge.
From Middle English eren, from Old English erian, from Proto-West Germanic arjan, from Proto-Germanic arjaną, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erh₃- (“to plough”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
Idioms
all ears — Listening intently; fully focused.
all eyes and ears — Very attentive.
are your ears burning — Asked of somebody who was not present but was the topic of discussion.
beat someone round the ears — To beat (a person) with blows about the head.
believe one's ears — To believe that something which one hears is truly the case.
bend someone's ear — To bore; to talk too long, especially to one particular person.
box someone's ears — To slap someone on the side of the head, usually as an informal punishment.
burn someone's ears — To cause blushing of someone's ears due to strong embarrassment.
donkey's ears — A long time, years and years.
dry behind the ears — Seasoned or experienced; mature, especially with respect to judgment.
Show all 43
ear to the ground — The practice or characteristic of carefully gathering information; a state or mindset of attentiveness.
ear tunnel — A round piece of jewelry with a hole in the middle, which fits into a stretched earlobe.
ears are burning — Being the topic of discussion in another place; or sensing that this is happening.
flea in one's ear — A stinging rebuke or rebuff.
give ear — To listen: to devote one's attention to an auditory event.
go in one ear and out the other — To be heard but not attended to, when a person fails to pay attention.
have a word in someone's ear — To speak to someone in private.
have one's ears lowered — To get a haircut.
have one's ears pinned back — To be strongly scolded, reprimanded or admonished.
have the wolf by the ear — To be in a dangerous situation from which one cannot disengage, but in which one cannot safely remain.
have Van Gogh's ear for music — To be tone-deaf.
inner ear — The mind's ear.
jug ears — Ears whose plane is markedly not parallel to the plane of the head.
jugs — ears
keep one's ears open — to listen for important information.
lend an ear — To listen to someone.
make a pig's ear of — To do badly; to make a mess of.
make a silk purse of a sow's ear — To produce something refined, admirable, or valuable from something which is unrefined, unpleasant, or of little or no value.
make someone's ears sad — To displease the ears of someone; to cause someone to hear music or sounds that are not to their liking.
mind's ear — The mental faculty or inner sense with which one produces or reproduces imagined or recalled sounds solely within the mind; the supposed organ within the mind which experiences such sounds.
music to someone's ears — A spoken expression or a sound which is pleasing; specifically, some good news, or welcome information or remarks.
play by ear — To do by guessing, intuition, or trial and error; to react to events as they occur, often with risk of negative outcomes; to improvise.
pour honey in one's ear — To tell one something pleasing or flattering.
preach to deaf ears — To attempt to persuade a party that does not wish to listen or cannot be altered in its conviction.
put a bug in someone's ear — To make a small suggestion or give a hint that causes the listener to act.
set by the ears — To make (a person or persons) argue; to set quarrelling.
smile from ear to ear — A large smile.
Spock ears — Pointy ears, resembling those of Spock, a Star Trek character.
take the wax out of one's ears — To listen more carefully or pay closer attention.
talk out of one's ear — Euphemistic form of talk out of one's ass.
talk someone's ear off — To talk to someone excessively, or far more than is wanted or appreciated.
tickle the ear — To flatter someone.
wet behind the ears — Inexperienced; just beginning; immature (especially in judgment).