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eardrum

noun

ear·​drum ˈir-ˌdrəm How to pronounce eardrum (audio)

Examples of eardrum in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Ear Pain or Pressure A feeling of fullness in your ears, pain, or muffled hearing often means fluid has built up behind your eardrum. Health, 3 Dec. 2025 Others were long enough in the tooth to be trading the secondhand tales of burst eardrums and that particular Valentine-tinnitus that heads have collected like backpack patches since the band’s miracle years. Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 28 Nov. 2025 Rey was out of action since April after suffering a torn groin and ruptured eardrum while in a six-man tag match with American Made and LWO. Matthew Couden, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025 After two hours of high-speed, eardrum-bursting laps around the winding track, Verstappen proved victorious, with McLaren’s Lando Norris and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finishing in second and third, respectively. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 20 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for eardrum

Word History

First Known Use

1645, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of eardrum was in 1645

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Cite this Entry

“Eardrum.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/eardrum. Accessed 8 Dec. 2025.

Kids Definition

eardrum

noun
ear·​drum -ˌdrəm How to pronounce eardrum (audio)
: the thin membrane that separates the outer and middle ear and carries sound waves as vibrations to the chain of tiny bones in the middle ear

called also tympanic membrane, tympanum

Medical Definition

eardrum

noun
ear·​drum -ˌdrəm How to pronounce eardrum (audio)

More from Merriam-Webster on eardrum

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