play it by ear
idiom
: to do something without special preparation
I don't know how they'll react to our proposal, so we'll just have to play it by ear and hope for the best.
Examples of play it by ear in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During today’s Sagittarius full moon, ease up and play it by ear.
—
USA TODAY, 3 June 2023
Richardson said the restaurant/bar will play it by ear.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 24 May 2021
Do some preliminary homework and do your best to prepare for all eventualities, then let concerns go, play it by ear and allow things to flow naturally.
—Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 8 May 2021
As far as his back is concerned, Embiid and the team will have to play it by ear.
—Ky Carlin, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2021
USA TODAY, 3 June 2023
Richardson said the restaurant/bar will play it by ear.
—Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, 24 May 2021
Do some preliminary homework and do your best to prepare for all eventualities, then let concerns go, play it by ear and allow things to flow naturally.
—Tribune Content Agency, oregonlive, 8 May 2021
As far as his back is concerned, Embiid and the team will have to play it by ear.
—Ky Carlin, USA TODAY, 28 Jan. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'play it by ear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near play it by ear
Cite this Entry
“Play it by ear.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/play%20it%20by%20ear. Accessed 24 Apr. 2024.
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