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ear1

Syllabification: (ear)
Pronunciation: /i(ə)r/

Translate ear | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish
Definition of ear

noun

  • the organ of hearing and balance in humans and other vertebrates, especially the external part of this.
  • an organ sensitive to sound in other animals.
  • [in singular] an ability to recognize, appreciate, and reproduce sounds, especially music or language:an ear for melody
  • used to refer to a person’s willingness to listen and pay attention to something:she offers a sympathetic ear to worried pet owners
  • an ear-shaped thing, especially the handle of a jug.

The ear of a mammal is composed of three parts. The outer or external ear consists of a fleshy external flap and a tube leading to the eardrum or tympanum. The middle ear is an air-filled cavity connected to the throat, containing three small linked bones that transmit vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. The inner ear is a complex fluid-filled labyrinth including the spiral cochlea (where vibrations are converted to nerve impulses) and the three semicircular canals (forming the organ of balance). The ears of other vertebrates are broadly similar

Phrases

be all ears

informal be listening eagerly and attentively.

bring something (down) about one's ears

bring something, especially misfortune, on oneself:she brought her world crashing about her ears

one's ears are burning

one is subconsciously aware of being talked about or criticized.

grin (or smile) from ear to ear

smile broadly.

have something coming out of one's ears

informal have a substantial or excessive amount of something:that man’s got money coming out of his ears

have someone's ear

have access to and influence with someone:he claimed to have the prime minister’s ear

have (or keep) an ear to the ground

be well informed about events and trends.

in one ear and out the other

heard but disregarded or quickly forgotten:whatever he tells me seems to go in one ear and out the other

listen with half an ear

not give one’s full attention.

be out on one's ear

informal be dismissed or ejected ignominiously.

up to one's ears in

informal very busy with or deeply involved in:I’m up to my ears in work here

Derivatives

eared

adjective
[in combination]:long-eared

earless

adjective

Origin:

Old English ēare, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch oor and German Ohr, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin auris and Greek ous

ear in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of ear in the British & World English dictionary

Nearby words

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