50+ Ear Idioms with meanings and examples
Here are 50+ Ear idioms with their meanings and example:
Barking up the wrong tree
Meaning: pursuing the wrong person or thing; making the wrong assumption.
Example: He accused me of stealing his wallet, but he was barking up the wrong tree. I wasn’t even in the room when it went missing.
Turn a deaf ear
Meaning: to ignore something intentionally; refuse to listen.
Example: She turned a deaf ear to her mother’s advice and married him anyway.
Bend someone’s ear
Meaning: to talk to someone for a long time.
Example: She really bent my ear about her problems at work.
All ears
Meaning: to be very attentive and interested in what someone is saying.
Example: When the teacher started talking about the upcoming field trip, the students were all ears.
Wet behind the ears
Meaning: inexperienced; lacking knowledge or sophistication.
Example: He may be smart, but he’s still wet behind the ears when it comes to dealing with difficult people.
Lend an ear
Meaning: to listen attentively; offer a sympathetic ear.
Example: Can I borrow your ear for a moment? I need to talk about something that’s been bothering me.
Close to the ear
Meaning: a secret or confidential matter.
Example: The CEO told me something close to the ear about the company’s future plans.
Walls have ears
Meaning: be careful what you say, because someone may be listening.
Example: Be careful what you say about your boss, remember, walls have ears.
Ear candy
Meaning: pleasant or catchy sounds or music.
Example: The pop song was just ear candy, but it was still fun to listen to.
Play it by ear
Meaning: to make decisions as you go along; improvise.
Example: We didn’t have a set plan for the day, so we decided to just play it by ear and see where we ended up.
Bite someone’s ear off
Meaning: to speak to someone in an angry or aggressive way.
Example: Don’t ask her any questions before she’s had her coffee, or she might bite your ear off.
Have someone’s ear
Meaning: to have someone’s attention and influence.
Example: He has the CEO’s ear and can get anything he wants.
Keep your ears open
Meaning: to be alert and attentive; stay aware of what’s going on around you.
Example: Keep your ears open for any updates on the weather, there’s a big storm coming.
In one ear and out the other
Meaning: to hear something but immediately forget it.
Example: I told him to study for the test, but it seems like my advice went in one ear and out the other.
To be up to one’s ears
Meaning: to be very busy or involved in something.
Example: He’s up to his ears in work and doesn’t have time for anything else.
Have a good ear for
Meaning: to be able to distinguish and appreciate different sounds or music.
Example: She has a good ear for classical music and can recognize the different composers.
Word in one’s ear
Meaning: to give someone confidential information or advice.
Example: She whispered a word in my ear about her boss’s plans to retire soon.
Out on one’s ear
Meaning: to be dismissed or fired from a job.
Example: After the scandal, he was out on his ear and had to find a new job.
Over one’s head
Meaning: to be too difficult or complex to understand.
Example: The technical jargon was over my head, and I didn’t understand what they were talking about.
To be wet behind the ears
Meaning: to be inexperienced or naive.
Example: The new intern is still wet behind the ears and needs a lot of guidance.
All eyes and ears
Meaning: to be very attentive and observant.
Example: The spy was all eyes and ears, carefully listening to every word said in the room.
Turn a tin ear
Meaning: to be tone-deaf or not able to distinguish different sounds or music.
Example: She turned a tin ear to his singing and couldn’t tell if he was off-key.
Give Someone an Earful
Meaning: angrily express an opinion to someone
Example: Wow, my mom gave me an earful when I said I’d be home at 1 a.m. Guess I’ll be going home early!
Be out of earshot
Meaning: to be too far away to hear what’s being said.
Example: I couldn’t hear what they were talking about because they were out of earshot.
Get someone’s ear
Meaning: to persuade or influence someone.
Example: He finally got his boss’s ear and was able to convince him to approve the project.
Speak off the top of one’s head
Meaning: to speak without preparation or thought.
Example: He didn’t have any notes, so he just spoke off the top of his head during the presentation.
Keep a close ear to the ground
Meaning: to stay informed about something; to be vigilant and aware.
Example: The politician kept a close ear to the ground to monitor public opinion.
Earworm
Meaning: a song or tune that gets stuck in your head.
Example: That jingle is an earworm that I can’t seem to get out of my head.
That’s Music to My Ears
Meaning: I am very happy to hear this.
Example: When the boss said I’d be getting a raise next year, that was music to my ears!
In the ear of the beholder
Meaning: something’s beauty or value is subjective.
Example: Art is in the ear of the beholder, and what one person finds beautiful, another might not.
Have a word in someone’s ear
Meaning: to give someone a hint or advice.
Example: I had a word in her ear about how to improve her presentation skills.
A sympathetic ear
Meaning: someone who listens with compassion and understanding.
Example: After the breakup, she needed a sympathetic ear to vent her feelings to.
Be music to one’s ears
Meaning: something that is pleasing or satisfying to hear.
Example: The sound of the rain was music to my ears after a long drought.
Earful
Meaning: a lot of information or a reprimand.
Example: He got an earful from his boss after he missed the deadline.
Be out on one’s ear
Meaning: to be forced to leave a place or job abruptly.
Example: After the disagreement, he was out on his ear and had to find a new place to stay.
Prick up one’s ears
Meaning: to suddenly become attentive or interested in something.
Example: The dog pricked up his ears when he heard the sound of the doorbell.
Have an ear to the ground
Meaning: to stay informed about the latest news or trends.
Example: She always had an ear to the ground and knew what was happening in the industry.
Up to one’s ears in debt
Meaning: to owe a lot of money.
Example: He was up to his ears in debt and had to file for bankruptcy.
Cock an ear
Meaning: to listen attentively or carefully.
Example: The cat cocked her ear when she heard the sound of the can opener.
In the earshot of
Meaning: within hearing range of someone.
Example: Don’t say anything you don’t want your boss to hear when you’re in the earshot of his office.
Ear-splitting
Meaning: extremely loud or piercing.
Example: The sound of the fire alarm was ear-splitting and gave everyone a headache.
Fine-tune one’s ear
Meaning: to train oneself to recognize subtle sounds or differences in pitch.
Example: As a musician, he had to fine-tune his ear to hear the different notes in a melody.
Close one’s ears to
Meaning: to refuse to listen to something or someone.
Example: She closed her ears to the criticism and focused on the positive feedback.
Be up to one’s ears
Meaning: to be extremely busy or overwhelmed with work or responsibilities.
Example: I can’t go out tonight, I’m up to my ears in work and have a deadline tomorrow.
All ears
Meaning: to be very attentive and interested in what someone is saying.
Example: Go ahead, I’m all ears. Tell me what happened at the meeting.
Be in one ear and out the other
Meaning: to hear something but quickly forget it.
Example: I told him to be careful, but it went in one ear and out the other, and he got hurt.
Wet behind the ears
Meaning: to be inexperienced or naive.
Example: He’s still wet behind the ears when it comes to managing a team.
Be within earshot
Meaning: to be close enough to hear something.
Example: I overheard their conversation because I was within earshot of where they were sitting.
Have the ears of a hawk
Meaning: to have excellent hearing and be able to pick up on subtle sounds.
Example: She could hear the slightest rustle of leaves outside her window – she has the ears of a hawk.
Be a feast for the ears
Meaning: to be pleasant or enjoyable to listen to.
Example: The symphony was a feast for the ears – I could listen to it all night.
The walls have ears
Meaning: to be cautious about what you say because you never know who might be listening.
Example: Be careful what you say in this office – the walls have ears and you don’t want to get into trouble.
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