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ear

ear

362 4.1
The attention of a person who listens to and thinks about your ideas
  • noun
  • /ɪr/
: atención
  • Honest reviews help our Simple Living message reach more ears, so please keep them coming.
  • fall on deaf ears
  • turn a deaf ear
  • deaf ears

They get the ear of the politicians.

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Examples

  • Your ability to listen heart and ear, like really, really listen.

  • They get the ear of the politicians.

  • So now you have the ear of the investor.

  • "Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song."

  • You got to talk to somebody, so I bent Tony's ear, I guess.

  • If you've got a better idea, I'm all ears.

  • Jon Kelly won his father's ear and understood the imperative of ratings to sales numbers.

    Academic text (2017)
  • Does it offer a listening ear, acceptance of her lifestyle choices, or knowing that if things go pear-shaped?

    Academic text (2011)
  • - I'm all ears.

  • The manager has a real ear for talent and often helps young artists flourish.

Synonyms

mind
vsear
  • Informal
∞ 6.6

Attention given to someone or something

is willingness to listen and give consideration rather than mere notice
hearing
vsear
13 3.0

A chance for someone to have their ideas listened to

is a general willingness to listen rather than a formal chance
7 3.6

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

is a general willingness to listen without added emotional support
4 4.2

Careful watching and listening for other people's needs and feelings

is the willingness to listen rather than a steady quality of focus

Idioms

To be someone another person listens to for advice or influence

Decide what to do as things happen rather than plan ahead

9 7.5

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

5 6.8

Careful attention to the latest news and trends

5 7.9

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

to give ear
  • Archaic
4 6.2

To listen carefully to someone

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

to bend your ear
  • Informal
3 7.9

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

Heard but quickly forgotten

2 6.3

A private talk to give advice or a warning

half an ear
  • Informal
1 7.1

To listen without giving full attention

Turn something of low quality into something valuable

Do something very badly and spoil how it turns out

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

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

To please someone with nice sounds like music or soft words

9.9

A sudden feeling of doubt or a sharp angry comment

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

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

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
16 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

ear canal
  • Specialized
4 3.4

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

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

4 1.0

A soft lower part of the ear that hangs down

tin ear
  • Offensive
3 9.4

Cannot hear small differences in music or people's speech

cauliflower ear
  • Specialized
1 7.4

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

A natural ability to recognize and enjoy music

1 4.1

Very loud, high sound that hurts your ears

1 3.0

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

ear specialist
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A doctor who treats ear problems and checks hearing

1 2.3

A doctor who treats ear problems and helps with hearing

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

1 7.0

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

1 8.5

A way of hearing music or words inside your head

ear trumpet
  • Archaic
1 9.9

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

1 3.2

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

external ear
  • Specialized
1 2.3

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

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

1 7.1

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

1 4.9

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

1 7.9

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

1 8.0

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

internal ear
  • Specialized
1 4.3

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

golden ear
  • Jargon
1 8.7

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

A very loud, high scream that hurts your ears

1 7.3

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

1 5.3

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

1 3.7

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

1 8.7

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

mouse-ear cress
  • Specialized
1 8.0

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

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

ear rape
  • Offensive
9.9

A very loud, harsh sound that hurts your ears

7.4

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Receptive

ear
362 4.1
inattention
7 4.6
indifference
66 4.6

Surface Forms

ear singular
ears plural

Etymology

Ear meaning attention comes from the idea of the ear as the tool for listening; to have someone's ear is to have them 'listen' to you, so the word now also means having someone's attention or influence.