ear

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈir 

1

a

: the characteristic vertebrate organ of hearing and equilibrium consisting in the typical mammal of a sound-collecting outer ear separated by the tympanic membrane from a sound-transmitting middle ear that in turn is separated from a sensory inner ear by membranous fenestrae

b

: any of various organs (as of a fish) capable of detecting vibratory motion

2

: the external ear of humans and most mammals

3

a

: the sense or act of hearing

b

: acuity of hearing

c

: sensitivity to musical tone and pitch

also : the ability to retain and reproduce music that has been heard

d

: sensitivity to nuances of language especially as revealed in the command of verbal melody and rhythm or in the ability to render a spoken idiom accurately

4

: something resembling a mammalian ear in shape, position, or function: such as

a

: a projecting part (such as a lug or handle)

b

: either of a pair of tufts of lengthened feathers on the head of some birds

5

: attention, awareness

lend an ear

6

: a space in the upper corner of the front page of a periodical (such as a newspaper) usually containing advertising for the periodical itself or a weather forecast

7

: a person who listens : listener

looking for a friendly ear

Illustration of ear

• 1 pinna
• 2 lobe
• 3 auditory meatus
• 4 tympanic membrane
• 5 eustachian tube
• 6 cochlea
• 7 auditory nerve
• 8 stapes
• 9 semicircular canals
• 10 incus
• 11 malleus
• 12 bones of skull

ear

2 of 3

noun (2)

: the fruiting spike of a cereal (such as wheat or corn) including both the seeds and protective structures

ear

3 of 3

verb

eared; earing; ears

intransitive verb

: to form ears in growing

the rye should be earing up

Phrases

all ears

: eagerly listening

if anybody spoke of that grisly matter, I was all ears … and alert to hear what might be said

—Mark Twain

by ear

: without reference to or memorization of written music

plays by ear

in one ear and out the other

: through one's mind without making an impression

everything you say to him goes in one ear and out the other

on one's ear

: in or into a state of irritation, shock, or discord

set the racing world on its ear by breaking the record

up to one's ears

: deeply involved : heavily implicated

up to his ears in shady deals

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• advertence
• advertency
• attention
• awareness
• cognizance
• consciousness
• eye
• heed
• knowledge
• mindfulness
• note
• notice
• observance
• observation

Examples of ear in a Sentence

Noun (1)

I'm trying to get the boss's ear in order to ask for a raise in my pay

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

These medications ease the inflammation that can cause ear pain. —Mark Gurarie, Health, 26 Apr. 2025

The company’s project involved recovering DNA of the extinct dire wolf from a fossil tooth found in Idaho and an ear bone in Ohio, parts of the animal’s primordial habitat, but the key was its editing of a donor genome of the gray wolf to alter 14 of its genes. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 24 Apr. 2025

Verb

Zion, who moments before was ducking into the water, bullets whistling by, now grinning ear to ear. —Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 7 Apr. 2025

Shorter gaiters can be used as headbands and ear warmers, then pulled down around your neck to keep drafts out of your jacket collar. —Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 7 Feb. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English ere, from Old English ēare; akin to Old High German ōra ear, Latin auris, Greek ous

Noun (2)

Middle English er, ere, going back to Old English ēar (Northumbrian æhher), going back to Germanic *ahaz (whence also Old Frisian ār "ear of grain," Middle Dutch aer, aere, Old Saxon ehir, Old High German ah, ahar, ehir, Old Norse ax, Gothic ahs), going back to Indo-European *h₂eḱ-es-, s-stem derivative from the base *h₂eḱ- "sharp, pointed" (in reference to a spike of grain perhaps originally referring to the awns, then generalized to the entire spike), whence also Latin acer-, acus "husks of grain or legumes, chaff," Tocharian B āke "end," Tocharian A āk — more at edge entry 1

Note: The diverse outcomes in Germanic assume generalization throughout the paradigm of the original stem variants: most forms from oblique stems *ahuz-, ahiz-, but Old High German ah, from nominative *ahaz and Old Norse ax, Gothic ahs, from a syncopated stem *ah-sa-.

Verb

Middle English eren, derivative of ere ear entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing ear

• a clip round the ear
• a thick ear
• a word in someone's ear
• bend one's ear
• bend someone's ear
• cauliflower ear
• cloud ear
• dog-ear
• ear canal
• ear candy
• ear clip
• ear pick
• ear rot
• ear shell
• elephant's ear
• flea in one's ear
• give him a thick ear
• grin from ear to ear
• have a word in your ear
• have someone's ear
• inner ear
• keen ear
• listen with only half an ear
• make a pig's ear (out) of
• middle ear
• mouse-ear
• mouse-ear chickweed
• outer ear
• out on one's ear
• play by ear
• play it by ear
• roasting ear
• set (something) on its ear
• slick-ear
• smile from ear to ear
• swimmer's ear
• talk someone's ear off
• tin ear
• tree ear
• turn a deaf ear
• wood ear

Rhymes for ear

• beer
• bier
• cheer
• clear
• dear
• deer
• drear
• fear
• fier
• gear
• hear
• here

Kids Definition

ear

1 of 2 noun

ˈi(ə)r 

1

a

: the organ of hearing and balance of vertebrates that in the typical mammal consists of a sound-collecting outer ear separated by an eardrum from a sound-carrying middle ear that in turn is separated from an inner ear containing neurons that receive sound and send nerve impulses to the brain

b

: outer ear

2

a

: the sense or act of hearing

b

: an ability to understand and appreciate something heard

an ear for languages

3

: willing or sympathetic attention

lend an ear

4

: something resembling an ear in shape or position

eared

ˈi(ə)rd

adjective

earless

ˈi(ə)r-ləs

adjective

ear

2 of 2 noun

: the seed-bearing head of a cereal (as corn) including both the seeds and protective structures

ear verb

Etymology

Noun

Old English ēare "organ of hearing"

Noun

Old English ēar "seed part of a plant"

Medical Definition

ear

noun

ˈi(ə)r 

1

: the characteristic vertebrate organ of hearing and equilibrium consisting in the typical mammal of a sound-collecting outer ear separated by the tympanic membrane from a sound-transmitting middle ear that in turn is separated from a sensory inner ear by membranous fenestrae

2

a

: the external ear of humans and most mammals

b

: a human earlobe

had her ears pierced

3

a

: the sense or act of hearing

b

: acuity of hearing