ear

[ eer ]

/ ɪər /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: ear / ears / earless on Thesaurus.com

noun

the organ of hearing and equilibrium in vertebrates, in humans consisting of an external ear that gathers sound vibrations, a middle ear in which the vibrations resonate against the tympanic membrane, and a fluid-filled internal ear that maintains balance and that conducts the tympanic vibrations to the auditory nerve, which transmits them as impulses to the brain.

the external ear alone: The hat completely covers his ears.

the sense of hearing: sounds that are pleasing to the ear.

keen or sensitive perception of the differences of sound, especially sensitiveness to the quality and correctness of musical sounds: an ear for music; a violinist with a good ear.

attention; heed: to gain a person's ear.

any part that resembles or suggests an ear in position or form, as the handle of a teacup.

Architecture. crossette.

Journalism. a small box in either upper corner of a newspaper page, usually the front page or split page, containing the name of or a symbol for the edition, a weather bulletin, a slogan, or the like.

Furniture.

a decorative feature at the upper end of a leg.
one of the decorative features at each end of a crest rail.

ears, Slang. earphones.

ear tuft.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about ear

be all ears, Informal. to give all one's attention; listen: We were all ears as the scandal was revealed.

bend an ear, to listen attentively: to bend an ear to a request for aid.

bend someone's ear, Informal. to talk to someone uninterruptedly and often so as to induce boredom: He'll bend your ear for hours if given the chance.

by ear, without reference to written or printed music: to play the piano by ear.

fall on deaf ears, to be disregarded; pass unheeded: Their pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears.

give ear, to pay attention; listen carefully.Also lend an ear .

go in one ear and out the other, to be heard but ignored; be put out of mind: My repeated warnings to her went in one ear and out the other.

have / keep one's ear to the ground, to keep well-informed about current trends; be shrewd or astute: Because she had her ear to the ground, she made a large fortune in stock speculation.

have one's ears on, Slang. to be listening to a CB radio, police radio, walkie-talkie, etc.

pin someone's ears back, Slang. to give a person a sound beating; defeat a person utterly: If he doesn't behave himself, I'll pin his ears back.

set by the ears, to cause to dispute or quarrel: He's a troublemaker who keeps trying to set the two other children by the ears.

set on one's ear / ears, to excite or stir up; shock; amaze: The presence of the movie star set the whole town on its ear.

turn a deaf ear to, to refuse to listen to or consider (a request, petition, etc.): He turns a deaf ear to requests for loans.

up to one's ears, deeply involved or occupied to full capacity: We are up to our ears in work.

wet behind the ears. wet (def. 19).

Origin of ear

First recorded before 900; Middle English ere, yere, yare, Old English ēare; cognate with Old Norse eyra, German Ohr, Gothic auso, Latin auris (from unrecorded ausis ), Lithuanian ausìs, Old Irish āu (from unrecorded əusos-), Greek oûs

OTHER WORDS FROM ear

earless, adjectiveearlike, adjective

Words nearby ear

Eames chair, -ean, E & OE, eanling, EAP, ear, earache, earball, earbash, earbob, earbud

Other definitions for ear (2 of 3)

ear²

[ eer ]

/ ɪər /

noun

the part of a cereal plant, as corn, wheat, etc., that contains the flowers and hence the fruit, grains, or kernels.

verb (used without object)

to form or put forth ears.

Origin of ear

First recorded before 900; Middle English ere, er, Old English ēar, æhher, eher; cognate with German Ahre, Old Norse ax (from unrecorded ahiz ), Gothic ahs (from unrecorded ahsis), Latin acus “husk”

Other definitions for ear (3 of 3)

ear³

[ eer ]

/ ɪər /

verb (used with object) British Dialect.

to plow; cultivate.

Origin of ear

First recorded before 900; Middle English eren, erien, Old English erian, erigan, erigean; cognate with Old Norse erja, Gothic arjan, Latin arāre, Lithuanian árti, Greek aroûn, all meaning “to plow”

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use ear in a sentence

With each bite, my ears rang with that satisfying crunch and my mouth grew drier.
The Rise and Fall of the Rice Cake, America’s One-Time Favorite Health Snack|Brenna Houck|September 17, 2020|Eater
To be able to do that, you need incredible practice and a great ear.
What if Your Company Had No Rules? (Bonus Episode)|Maria Konnikova|September 12, 2020|Freakonomics
It also has adjustable strings to fit around a person’s ears.
Apple has developed special face masks for employees|Verne Kopytoff|September 9, 2020|Fortune
It’s also working on a smaller HomePod and the first pair of Apple-branded over ear headphones for release as early as later this year.
Apple is holding a Sept. 15 online event, where it’s likely to unveil its latest Watch|radmarya|September 8, 2020|Fortune

Among a comprehensive product refresh in the fall, Apple is also preparing a new iPad Air with an edge-to-edge iPad Pro-like screen, two new Apple Watch versions and its first over-ear headphones outside the Beats brand.
Apple is prepping 75 million 5G iPhones for later this year|radmarya|September 1, 2020|Fortune
“Jeffrey wanted me to tell you that you looked so pretty,” the female voice said into my disbelieving ear.
I Tried to Warn You About Sleazy Billionaire Jeffrey Epstein in 2003|Vicky Ward|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
In an act of corporal punishment that we at the Daily Beast do not condone, Joseph grabbed Him by the ear and “pulled hard.”
Was Baby Jesus A Holy Terror?|Candida Moss|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And in his view, they may be good at policy but have “a deaf ear when it comes to politics.”
How Will Cuba Play In Peoria?|Eleanor Clift|December 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Worse, when Richman woke up the next morning, her entire ear was purple.
‘My Crazy Love’ Reveals the Craziest Lies People Tell for Love|Kevin Fallon|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
She had low-grade blood poisoning in her ear from the pin she used to pierce it.
‘My Crazy Love’ Reveals the Craziest Lies People Tell for Love|Kevin Fallon|November 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
When we were mounted Mac leaned over and muttered an admonitory word for Piegan's ear alone.
Raw Gold|Bertrand W. Sinclair
What the ear hears is the fundamental pitch only; the overtones harmonize with the primary or fundamental tone, and enrich it.
Expressive Voice Culture|Jessie Eldridge Southwick
The worst loss is that of Winston's ear; high principles won't obtain high explosives.
Gallipoli Diary, Volume I|Ian Hamilton
He looked up, half shutting his one funny eye, and cocking one ear up, and letting the other droop down.
Squinty the Comical Pig|Richard Barnum
Motionless she stood, straining eye and ear; she could hear nothing, but the gestures told much.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for ear (1 of 2)

ear¹

/ (ɪə) /

noun

the organ of hearing and balance in higher vertebrates and of balance only in fishes. In man and other mammals it consists of three partsSee external ear, middle ear, internal ear Related adjectives: aural, otic

the outermost cartilaginous part of the ear (pinna) in mammals, esp man

the sense of hearing

sensitivity to musical sounds, poetic diction, etche has an ear for music

attention, esp favourable attention; consideration; heed (esp in the phrases give ear to, lend an ear)

an object resembling the external ear in shape or position, such as a handle on a jug

Also called (esp Brit): earpiece a display box at the head of a newspaper page, esp the front page, for advertisements, etc

all ears very attentive; listening carefully

by ear without reading from written music

chew someone's ear slang to reprimand severely

fall on deaf ears to be ignored or pass unnoticed

have hard ears Caribbean to be stubbornly disobedient

a flea in one's ear informal a sharp rebuke

have the ear of to be in a position to influencehe has the ear of the president

in one ear and out the other heard but unheeded

keep one's ear to the ground or have one's ear to the ground to be or try to be well informed about current trends and opinions

make a pig's ear of informal to ruin disastrously

one's ears are burning one is aware of being the topic of another's conversation

out on one's ear informal dismissed unceremoniously

play by ear

to act according to the demands of a situation rather than to a plan; improvise
to perform a musical piece on an instrument without written music

prick up one's ears to start to listen attentively; become interested

set by the ears to cause disagreement or commotion

a thick ear informal a blow on the ear delivered as punishment, in anger, etc

turn a deaf ear to be deliberately unresponsive

up to one's ears informal deeply involved, as in work or debt

wet behind the ears informal inexperienced; naive; immature

Derived forms of ear

earless, adjectiveearlike, adjective

Word Origin for ear

Old English ēare; related to Old Norse eyra, Old High German ōra, Gothic ausō, Greek ous, Latin auris

British Dictionary definitions for ear (2 of 2)

ear²

/ (ɪə) /

noun

the part of a cereal plant, such as wheat or barley, that contains the seeds, grains, or kernels

verb

(intr) (of cereal plants) to develop such parts

Word Origin for ear

Old English ēar; related to Old High German ahar, Old Norse ax, Gothic ahs ear, Latin acus chaff, Greek akros pointed

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for ear (1 of 2)

ear¹

[ îr ]

The vertebrate organ of hearing, which in mammals is usually composed of three parts: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The organs of balance are also located in the ear.

An invertebrate organ analogous to the vertebrate ear.

Scientific definitions for ear (2 of 2)

ear²

[ îr ]

The seed-bearing spike of a cereal plant, such as corn or wheat.

Cultural definitions for ear

ear

The organ of hearing, which also plays a role in maintaining balance. It is divided into the outer ear (from the outside to the eardrum), the middle ear, and the inner ear.

Other Idioms and Phrases with ear

ear

In addition to the idioms beginning with ear

early bird catches the worm
early on
early to bed, early to rise (makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise)
earn one's keep
earn one's stripes
ears are burning, one's
ear to the ground, have one's

also see:

all ears
believe one's ears
bend someone's ear
can't make a silk purse out of sow's ear
coming out of one's ears
cute as a button (bug's ear)
fall on deaf ears
flea in one's ear
have someone's ear
in one ear and out the other
lend one's ear
music to one's ears
out on one's ear
pin someone's ears back
play by ear
prick up one's ears
put a bug in someone's ear
turn a deaf ear
up to one's ears
walls have ears
wet behind the ears

ear

Idioms about ear

Origin of ear

OTHER WORDS FROM ear

Words nearby ear

Other definitions for ear (2 of 3)

Origin of ear

Other definitions for ear (3 of 3)

Origin of ear

Words related to ear

How to use ear in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for ear (1 of 2)

Derived forms of ear

Word Origin for ear

British Dictionary definitions for ear (2 of 2)

Word Origin for ear

Scientific definitions for ear (1 of 2)

Scientific definitions for ear (2 of 2)

Cultural definitions for ear

Other Idioms and Phrases with ear