ear
A1Neutral
Definition
Meaning
The organ of hearing in humans and animals; the external, visible part of this organ.
1. The sense of hearing or the ability to perceive sound. 2. Attention, notice, or a willingness to listen. 3. Something resembling an ear in shape or position, e.g., the handle of a jug or the fruiting spike of a cereal plant like corn or wheat.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
Countable noun. When referring to the sense of hearing or attention, often used in singular form (e.g., 'a good ear for music', 'give ear to'). The plural 'ears' refers to the physical organs.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Minimal. The phrase 'give ear to' (to listen attentively) is more archaic/literary in both but slightly more likely in BrE. 'Ear' as a verb (to form the head of grain) is agricultural and rare in both.
Connotations
Identical. Both associate 'ear' with listening, attention, and musical ability.
Frequency
Equally common and basic in both varieties.
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
have a [adj] ear (for N)give/lend an ear to NN + prick up its earsN + fall on deaf earsN + go in one ear and out the otherVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “play it by ear”
- “be all ears”
- “go in one ear and out the other”
- “music to my ears”
- “fall on deaf ears”
- “prick up your ears”
- “wet behind the ears”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Metaphorical: 'The manager lent an ear to the staff's concerns.'
Academic
Anatomical/biological: 'The inner ear is responsible for balance and hearing.'
Everyday
Literal and common idioms: 'My ear hurts.' / 'I'll play it by ear.'
Technical
Audiology/otology: 'The patient presented with otitis media affecting the middle ear.'
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- The barley is just beginning to ear.
- A good summer will see the wheat ear well.
American English
- The corn is earing in the fields.
- The plants need more sun to ear properly.
adjective
British English
- He has an ear-piercing whistle.
- The ear specialist is called an otologist.
American English
- She complained of an ear-splitting noise.
- We went to the ear, nose, and throat doctor.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I have two ears.
- My rabbit has long ears.
- She has an earache.
- He whispered the secret in my ear.
- You need to clean your ears.
- She has a good ear for languages.
- The proposal fell on deaf ears at the board meeting.
- Let's play it by ear and decide later.
- He turned a deaf ear to all their warnings.
- Her keen ear for dialogue made her an excellent script editor.
- The politician was finally forced to give ear to the dissenting voices.
- The complex polyphonic piece requires a sophisticated ear to appreciate fully.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
You HEAR with your EAR. Both words contain 'ear'.
Conceptual Metaphor
ATTENTION IS AN EAR (e.g., 'lend me your ear'), ABILITY TO DISCERN IS AN EAR (e.g., 'an ear for languages'), IGNORING IS DEAFNESS (e.g., 'turning a deaf ear').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid confusing 'ear' (ухо) with 'year' (год) in pronunciation. 'Ear' is /ɪr/, 'year' is /jɪr/ or /jɜː/.
- In Russian, 'слух' covers both 'hearing' and 'rumour'. In English, 'ear' is the organ/sense, 'hearing' is the sense/process, and 'rumour' is the news.
Common Mistakes
- Incorrect plural: 'ears' not 'eares'.
- Confusion with homophones: 'here' vs. 'hear' vs. 'ear'.
- Using 'ear' as a verb in non-agricultural contexts (e.g., 'I eared the conversation' is incorrect).
Practice
Quiz
What does the idiom 'play it by ear' mean?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, it is used for the hearing organs of all vertebrates (animals with backbones). For insects, 'tympanal organ' is the technical term.
'Ear' is the physical organ. 'Hearing' is the sense or the act of perceiving sound. You have ears, and you use them for hearing.
Yes, but rarely in everyday language. As a verb, 'to ear' means to form or develop ears (of grain), e.g., 'The wheat is earing.' It is not used to mean 'to listen'.
When used metaphorically for attention (e.g., 'lend me your ears'), the plural is standard as it evokes the image of many people listening. For an individual's capacity to listen, the singular is often used (e.g., 'She has an ear for detail').
Collections
Part of a collection
Body and Health
A1 · 49 words · Parts of the body and basic health vocabulary.