fall on deaf ears
idiomatic phrase
sometimes offensive
: to fail to be heard : to be ignored
Her pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears.
see usage paragraph at deaf entry 1
Examples of fall on deaf ears in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Trump’s blame game, already falling on deaf ears, is about to be out of convenient targets.
—
David Goldman, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
After watching an 11-0 start to the season turn into an 11-2 finish ending with losses to bitter rival Texas and a first-round exit in the College Football Playoff without scoring a touchdown, any feel-good talk may fall on deaf ears for Texas A&M football fans.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 24 Dec. 2025
Under the Biden administration, calls for Mexico to comply fell on deaf ears, and systemic water shortages forced Texas’s last sugar mill to close, The Center Square reported.
—Joseph Nepomuceno, The Washington Examiner, 18 Dec. 2025
But that's likely falling on deaf ears, says Michael Strain, an economist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute.
—December 12, NPR, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall on deaf ears
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David Goldman, CNN Money, 2 Jan. 2026
After watching an 11-0 start to the season turn into an 11-2 finish ending with losses to bitter rival Texas and a first-round exit in the College Football Playoff without scoring a touchdown, any feel-good talk may fall on deaf ears for Texas A&M football fans.
—Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 24 Dec. 2025
Under the Biden administration, calls for Mexico to comply fell on deaf ears, and systemic water shortages forced Texas’s last sugar mill to close, The Center Square reported.
—Joseph Nepomuceno, The Washington Examiner, 18 Dec. 2025
But that's likely falling on deaf ears, says Michael Strain, an economist at the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute.
—December 12, NPR, 12 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for fall on deaf ears
Cite this Entry
“Fall on deaf ears.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fall%20on%20deaf%20ears. Accessed 30 Jan. 2026.
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