ear

1. PART OF YOUR BODY [countable] one of the organs on either side of your head that you hear with:
She tucked her hair behind her ears.
long-eared/short-eared etc
a long-eared rabbit
2. GRAIN [countable] the top part of a plant such as wheat that produces grain
ear of
an ear of corn
3. smile/grin etc from ear to ear to show that you are very happy or pleased by smiling a lot:
She came out of his office, beaming from ear to ear.
4. reach somebody's ears if something reaches someone's ears, they hear about it or find out about it:
The news eventually reached the ears of the king.
5. to somebody's ears used when saying how something sounds to someone:
It sounds odd to the ears of an ordinary English speaker.
6. [singular] the ability to learn music, copy sounds etc
ear for
She has no ear for languages at all.
a good ear for dialogue
7. a sympathetic ear used to say that someone listens sympathetically to what someone is saying:
He’s always prepared to lend a sympathetic ear.
8. close/shut your ears to something to refuse to listen to bad or unpleasant news:
You can’t just close your ears to their warnings. ⇨ turn a deaf ear at ↑deaf(4), ⇨ fall on deaf ears at ↑deaf(5)
9. be all ears informal to be very keen to hear what someone is going to tell you:
As soon as I mentioned money, Karen was all ears.
10. be out on your ear informal to be forced to leave a job, organization etc, especially because you have done something wrong:
You’d better start working harder, or you’ll be out on your ear.
11. be up to your ears in work/debt/problems etc to have a lot of work etc
12. have something coming out (of) your ears informal to have too much of something:
We’ve got pumpkins coming out our ears this time of year.
13. keep your/an ear to the ground to make sure that you always know what is happening in a situation
14. keep your ears open to always be listening in order to find out what is happening or to hear some useful information:
I hope you’ll all keep your eyes and ears open for anything unusual.
15. go in (at) one ear and out (at) the other informal if information goes in one ear and out the other, you forget it as soon as you have heard it:
I don’t know why I tell her anything. It just goes in one ear and out the other.
16. give somebody a thick ear British English informal to hit someone on the ear:
Behave yourself or I’ll give you a thick ear!
17. have sb’s ear to be trusted by someone so that they will listen to your advice, opinions etc:
He claimed to have the ear of several top ministers.
18. play something by ear to play music that you have heard without having to read written music ⇨ play it by ear at ↑play¹(11)
19. sb’s ears are burning used to say that someone thinks that people are talking about them
20. sb’s ears are flapping British English spoken used to say that someone is trying to listen to your private conversation
⇨ ↑dog-eared, ⇨ bend sb’s ear at ↑bend¹(7), ⇨ send somebody off with a flea in their ear at ↑flea(2), ⇨ make a pig’s ear of at ↑pig¹(5), ⇨ prick (up) your ears at ↑prick¹(5), ⇨ wet behind the ears at ↑wet¹(7)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ adjectives
▪ big African elephants' ears are bigger than those of Indian elephants.
▪ floppy (=soft and hanging down loosely, rather than being stiff) a rabbit with big floppy ears
▪ pointy/pointed The dog has short pointy ears.
▪ pierced (=with a hole in the skin where an earring can be put) Her new boyfriend's got long hair and pierced ears.
▪ somebody's left/right ear She is deaf in her right ear.
▪ inner/middle ear (=the parts inside your ear, which you use to hear sounds) I've got an infection in my middle ear.
■ verbs
▪ say/whisper something into somebody's ear He whispered something into his wife's ear.
▪ have your ears pierced (=have a hole put into the skin, so that you can wear an earring) I had my ears pierced when I was quite young.
▪ somebody's ears stick out (=they are noticeable because they do not lie flat against someone's head) If my hair is too short, you can see that my ears stick out.
▪ somebody's ears pop (=the pressure in them changes suddenly, for example when you go up or down quickly in a plane) My ears finally popped when the plane landed.

Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

ear

ear [ear ears] [ɪə(r)] [ɪr] noun
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's had her ears pierced.
• The elephant flapped its ears.
• He was always there with a sympathetic ear (= a willingness to listen to people).

see also cauliflower ear, glue 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
more at not believe your ears/eyes at believe, bend sb's ear (about sth) at bend _v., give sb a box on the ears at box _n., box sb's ears at box _v., cock an ear/eye at sth/sb at cock _v., fall on deaf earsturn a deaf ear at deaf _adj., easy on the ear/eye at easy _adj., feel your ears burning at feel _v., with a flea in your ear at flea, lend an ear at lend, music to your ears at music, keep your ears/eyes open at open _adj., make a pig's ear of sth at pig _n., prick (up) your ears at prick _v., ring in your ears/head at ring _v., make a silk purse (out of a sow's ear) at silk, give sb/get a thick ear at thick _adj., walls have ears at wall _n., (still) wet behind the ears at wet _adj., have a word in sb's ear at word _n.
Idioms: all ears ▪ go in one ear and out the other ▪ grin from ear to ear ▪ have somebody's ear ▪ have something coming out of your ears ▪ have the ear of somebody ▪ keep your ear to the ground ▪ out on your ear ▪ play by ear ▪ play it by ear ▪ shut your ears to something ▪ somebody's ears are burning ▪ somebody's ears are flapping ▪ something comes to somebody's ears ▪ up to your ears in something ▪ with half an ear
Word Origin:
senses 1 to 3 and
Old English ēare Germanic Dutch oor German Ohr Indo-European Latin auris Greek ous
sense 4 Old English ēar Germanic Dutch aar German Ähre

Example Bank:
• ‘We were talking about you last night.’ ‘I thought my ears were burning.’
• A blast of punk rock music assaulted her ears.
• A horse may show annoyance by putting its ears back.
• A small noise caught his ear.
• At first I stopped my ears to what I did not want to hear.
• Blood from his torn ear was soaking his collar.
• Chinese music uses a scale that is unfamiliar to Western ears.
• Christopher felt his ears reddening.
• Come on, tell me, I'm all ears.
• Dogs can hear things that human ears can't hear.
• Drop a quiet word in her ear about it before it's too late.
• Each animal receives an individual ear tag.
• Even if my fears were silly, he always had an open ear.
• He arrived home hungry, and the noise from the kitchen was music to his ears.
• He could hear much better after having his ears cleaned out.
• He had three ear piercings.
• He has a good ear for accents and can usually tell where a speaker comes from.
• He has a keen ear for dialogue.
• He has really big ears that stick out.
• He listened to her with only half an ear as he watched TV.
• He plugged his ears to drown out the music.
• He plugged his ears with tissue paper to drown out the music.
• He pressed his ear to the door, but heard nothing.
• He waited in the darkness, his ears alert for the slightest sound.
• He was always willing to lend an ear.
• He was beaming from ear to ear.
• He went home with the teacher's warning ringing in his ears.
• Her ears listened expectantly.
• His ears pricked up when he heard his name mentioned.
• His sharp ears had picked up the uncertainty in her voice.
• I have a few words for your ears alone.
• I knew that my words were going in one ear and out the other.
• I strained my ears to catch the conversation in the other room.
• I'll keep my ears open for a second-hand bike for you.
• I'm sorry for talking your ear off.
• I've just had my ears pierced so I'm going to buy some earrings.
• If news of the break-in reaches the boss's ears, we're in trouble.
• If you suck a sweet as the plane takes off it stops your ears popping.
• In the silence everyone seemed to be aware of listening ears.
• It takes time to attune your ear to the local accent.
• My heart was pounding in my ears.
• She actually apologized. I couldn't believe my ears!
• She always provided a sympathetic ear for students with problems.
• She bent my ear about it for three days.
• She couldn't see, but her ears told her that the guards had arrived.
• She did not like the plan, as she made clear every time she found a receptive ear= sb willing to listen.
• She did not like the scheme, as she made clear every time she found a receptive ear.
• She has a tin ear for melody.
• She nibbled on his ear.
• She put her hands over her ears to block out what he was saying.
• She put on her ear muffs and went out into the snow.
• She stood outside the room, her ears straining to hear what they were saying.
• She usually plays the guitar by ear, rather than reading the music.
• Some of the words used in 18th-century writing sound strange to modern ears.
• The dog pricked up its ears.
• The explosion set my ears ringing and even made me jump a bit.
• The horse lifted its head and flicked its ears.
• The music was so loud I had to cover my ears.
• The music was so loud that it hurt my ears.
• The sound of the blast filled my ears.
• The teacher turned a deaf ear to the boy's requests= ignored them.
• The teacher turned a deaf ear to the boy's swearing.
• The voices buzzing all around echoed in her ears.
• Their complaints about the poor service fell on deaf ears.
• This was the woman who had the ear of the President.
• To the trained ear the calls of these birds sound quite different.
• When the notes are played so close together the ear hears no space between them.

• a rabbit with long floppy ears

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary - 4th Edition

ear / ɪə r / / ɪr / noun [ C ] (BODY PART)

A1 either of the two organs, one on each side of the head, by which people or animals hear sounds, or the piece of skin and tissue outside the head connected to this organ:

The hearing in my left ear's not so good.

She leaned over and whispered something in his ear.

→ See also aural

See picture head

ear / ɪə r / / ɪr / noun [ C ] (PLANT PART)

the flower part of a plant like a grass, such as wheat, which later contains the grains that are used as food:

an ear of corn

Collins Advanced Learner’s English Dictionary

ear

/ɪə(r)/
(ears)

Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.

1.
Your ears are the two parts of your body, one on each side of your head, with which you hear sounds.
He whispered something in her ear...
I’m having my ears pierced.
N-COUNT

2.
If you have an ear for music or language, you are able to hear its sounds accurately and to interpret them or reproduce them well.
Moby certainly has a fine ear for a tune...
An ear for foreign languages is advantageous.
N-SING: with supp, usu N for n

3.
Ear is often used to refer to people’s willingness to listen to what someone is saying.
What would cause the masses to give him a far more sympathetic ear?...
They had shut their eyes and ears to everything.
N-COUNT: oft adj N

4.
The ears of a cereal plant such as wheat or barley are the parts at the top of the stem, which contain the seeds or grains.
N-COUNT: usu pl

5.
If someone says that they are all ears, they mean that they are ready and eager to listen. (INFORMAL)
PHRASE: usu v-link PHR

6.
If a request falls on deaf ears or if the person to whom the request is made turns a deaf ear to it, they take no notice of it.
I hope that our appeals will not fall on deaf ears...
He has turned a resolutely deaf ear to American demands for action.
PHRASE: V inflects

7.
If you keep or have your ear to the ground, you make sure that you find out about the things that people are doing or saying.
Jobs in manufacturing are relatively scarce but I keep my ear to the ground.
PHRASE: V inflects

8.
If you lend an ear to someone or their problems, you listen to them carefully and sympathetically.
They are always willing to lend an ear and offer what advice they can.
PHRASE: V inflects

9.
If you say that something goes in one ear and out the other, you mean that someone pays no attention to it, or forgets about it immediately.
That rubbish goes in one ear and out the other.
PHRASE: V inflects

10.
If someone says that you will be out on your ear, they mean that you will be forced to leave a job, an organization or a place suddenly. (INFORMAL)
We never objected. We’d have been out on our ears looking for another job if we had.
PHRASE: N inflects, v-link PHR

11.
If you play by ear or play a piece of music by ear, you play music by relying on your memory rather than by reading printed music.
Neil played, by ear, the music he’d heard his older sister practicing.
PHRASE: V inflects

12.
If you play it by ear, you decide what to say or do in a situation by responding to events rather than by following a plan which you have decided on in advance.
PHRASE: V inflects

13.
If you are up to your ears in something, it is taking up all of your time, attention, or resources.
He was desperate. He was in debt up to his ears.
PHRASE: v-link PHR, oft PHR in n

14.
music to your ears: see music
wet behind the ears: see wet

Merriam-Webster's Advanced Learner's Dictionary

¹ear /ˈiɚ/ noun, pl ears
1 [count] : the part of the body that you hear with
• He was whispering something in her ear.
• a dog with floppy ears
• pierced ears [=ears with earlobes that have been pierced for wearing earrings]
- see picture at face
2 [singular]
a : an ability to understand and appreciate something heard
• He has a good ear for music/languages.
b
- used to describe the way something sounds to you
• It sounds a little old-fashioned to my ear. [=it sounds old-fashioned to me]
3 [count] : attention that is shown or given by listening to what someone says
• Thanks for your ear. [=thanks for listening]
• When I told my story, my brother listened with only half an ear. [=did not listen closely]
✦To lend an ear or, in literary language, to lend someone your ears is to listen to what someone has to say.
• She's always willing to lend a sympathetic ear.
• “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” Shakespeare, Julius Caesar (1599) -
all ears informal
- used to say that someone is listening very closely
• As I told the story, my daughter was all ears.
a word in someone's ear
- see ¹word
bend someone's ear
- see ¹bend
box someone's ears
- see ³box
can't believe your ears
- see believe
cock an/your ear
- see ²cock
ears are burning
✦If your ears are burning or you feel your ears burning, you have the feeling that other people are talking about you.
• (humorous) “We were talking about you last night.” “That explains why I felt my ears burning.”
ears pop
- see ¹pop
fall on deaf ears : to fail to be heard : to be ignored
• Her pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears.
grin/smile from ear to ear : to smile widely : to have a big smile on your face
• He was grinning from ear to ear.
have someone's ear
✦If you have someone's ear you can talk and give advice to that person because you are trusted.
• an adviser who has the President's ear
in one ear and out the other : through someone's mind without being remembered or noticed
• Everything you say to him goes in one ear and out the other. [=he doesn't listen to or remember what you say]
out on your ear informal : forced out : thrown out
• If you're late to work again, you'll be out on your ear! [=you'll be fired]
play by ear
1
✦To play a song or a piece of music by ear is to play it after hearing it without looking at written music.
• He could play any tune by ear after hearing it only once.
2
✦To play it by ear is to do something without special preparation.
• I don't know how they'll react to our proposal, so we'll just have to play it by ear [=improvise, (informal) wing it] and hope for the best.
set (something) on its ear informal : to cause something to be in a state of great excitement or shock
• She set the racing world on its ear [=she surprised and shocked the racing world] by winning several major races.
• His early recordings set the jazz world on its ear. [=his recordings caused a sensation in the jazz world]
talk someone's ear off
- see ¹talk
turn a deaf ear : to refuse to listen to what someone says
• The company president turned a deaf ear to my proposals.
up to your ears : deeply involved in something
• They are up to their ears in debt. [=they are deeply in debt]
• We're up to our ears in work. [=we are very busy]
wet behind the ears
- see ¹wet