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ear

ear

1.0
The part on the side of the head used for hearing
  • noun
  • /ɪr/
translation icon : oído
  • The night before we lost the ship, he whispered something in her ear.
  • middle ear
  • ear canal
  • inner ear

Tuck this behind your ear just to lock it.

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Examples

  • Audiometry revealed an improvement in the pure tones in both ears at the higher frequencies.

    Academic text (2008)
  • She cupped her hand around her ear to hear better in the noisy room.

  • Also make sure to hit your ears and your neck.

  • Tuck this behind your ear just to lock it.

    GQ
  • I still have ringing in my ears!

  • Just like our eyes and teeth, our ears also need annual checkups.

  • The doctor examined the patient's ears to check for any signs of infection.

  • He whispered a secret into her ear so no one else could hear it.

Synonyms

4.6

The part of the ear that gets sounds and sends them to the brain

focuses on the outer visible structure at the side of the head
auditory apparatus
vsear
  • Specialized
6.5

The parts of the ear that receive sound and send it to the brain

is the single external organ rather than the full internal system

Idioms

Decide what to do as things happen rather than plan ahead

6 6.8

Careful attention to the latest news and trends

Refuse to listen to someone who gives advice or warnings

to lend an ear
  • Informal
3 3.2

To listen to someone and show you care

Heard but quickly forgotten

to bend your ear
  • Informal
1 7.9

To talk to someone for a long time in a way that annoys them

to give ear
  • Archaic
1 6.2

To listen carefully to someone

To be someone another person listens to for advice or influence

Do something very badly and spoil how it turns out

half an ear
  • Informal
1 7.1

To listen without giving full attention

You are in a dangerous situation where giving up is as risky as staying

7.9

Talk to someone for a long time about personal things and often annoy them

A private talk to give advice or a warning

9.9

A sudden feeling of doubt or a sharp angry comment

Turn something of low quality into something valuable

To pay close attention to what people say and do to know what is happening

Tell someone about an idea so they will think about it later

Say nice words you do not mean to get something from someone

Speak to someone for a very long time in a way that annoys them

To please someone with nice sounds like music or soft words

To change a situation completely and suddenly

up on its ear
  • Informal
9.8

People or places in confusion and disorder after a big change

Compounds

inner ear
  • Specialized
14 4.1

The part inside the ear that helps you hear and keep balance

A person who listens and shows care when you have a problem

middle ear
  • Specialized
4 3.5

A space filled with air behind the eardrum that contains three tiny bones that carry sound to the inner ear

ear canal
  • Specialized
3 3.4

A narrow tube in the outer ear that leads to the eardrum

tin ear
  • Offensive
2 9.4

Cannot hear small differences in music or people's speech

A natural ability to recognize and enjoy music

1 4.1

Very loud, high sound that hurts your ears

cauliflower ear
  • Specialized
1 7.4

A lumpy, swollen outer ear that develops after repeated hits, common in boxers and wrestlers

outer ear
  • Specialized
1 3.3

The visible part of the ear and the ear canal that collect sound and send it to the eardrum

ear rape
  • Offensive
1 9.9

A very loud, harsh sound that hurts your ears

ear specialist
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A doctor who treats ear problems and checks hearing

ear trumpet
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A cone-shaped device that directs sound into the ear to help people hear

1 4.9

A piece of jewelry that sits on the outer edge of the ear without making a hole

1 2.3

A doctor who treats ear problems and helps with hearing

A doctor who treats problems of the ear, nose, and throat

1 8.5

A way of hearing music or words inside your head

golden ear
  • Jargon
1 8.7

Someone who can hear very small differences in sounds or musical notes

A small plant with bright yellow flowers that grows in the Alps

9.9

A plant with leaves or petals that look like a cat's ear

cloth-ear
  • Offensive
9.9

A person who does not listen carefully and misses important details

deer's-ear
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall flowering plant that grows on dry hills in the western United States

7.1

A corner of a book page folded down to mark where you stopped reading

1.0

A soft lower part of the ear that hangs down

3.2

A small tag on an animal's ear used to identify and track it

To attach a small tag to an animal's ear to identify and track it

7.4

A piece of jewellery that goes around the ear without a piercing

A small edible mushroom shaped like a thin ear that grows on dead wood

3.0

An opening in a helmet or other head covering that lets sound reach your ear

An earring that fits over the edge of the ear without needing a piercing

A very loud, high scream that hurts your ears

7.9

A large sea snail with a flat, shiny shell eaten as food

A tropical plant with very large heart-shaped leaves often grown in gardens

A tropical plant with very large leaves that look like a big ear

A small plant with white flowers that grows year after year in cold Arctic and mountain areas

A small plant with white flowers and hairy leaves that grows in Arctic and mountain areas

external ear
  • Specialized
2.3

The part of the ear you can see on the outside of the head

A small plant with white flowers that grows in grassy meadows

lion's-ear
  • Specialized
9.6

A plant with bright orange flowers shaped like small lips that grow in rings

middle-ear deafness
  • Specialized
6.2

Hearing loss caused by problems with the small bones in the middle ear

8.0

A low plant with tiny soft leaves that look like a mouse's ear

8.7

A small plant with bright blue or white flowers that comes back each year

A low wild plant with tiny white flowers and soft hairy leaves

mouse-ear cress
  • Specialized
8.0

A small plant with tiny white flowers that scientists often use in plant research

A low plant with soft hairy leaves and small yellow flowers like a dandelion

5.3

Thick sticky liquid builds up behind the eardrum and reduces hearing in children

internal ear
  • Specialized
4.3

The part of the ear inside the head that helps you hear and keep balance

9.9

A brown ear-shaped edible mushroom that grows on dead wood and is used in Asian cooking

sea-ear
  • UK
9.9

A sea snail with a flat ear-shaped shell found near the Channel Islands

vestibule of the ear
  • Specialized
9.2

A small central space inside the inner ear that helps control balance and links hearing parts

Surface Forms

ear singular
ears plural

Etymology

Ear comes from an old English word related to the verb hear, and it originally named the body part we use to 'listen', which is why the word still means the organ for hearing.