Here are 50+ Ear idioms with their meanings and example:
Barking up the wrong tree Meaning: pursuing the wrong person or thing; making the wrong assumption. Example: He accused me of stealing his wallet, but he was barking up the wrong tree. I wasn’t even in the room when it went missing.
Turn a deaf ear Meaning: to ignore something intentionally; refuse to listen. Example: She turned a deaf ear to her mother’s advice and married him anyway.
Bend someone’s ear Meaning: to talk to someone for a long time. Example: She really bent my ear about her problems at work.
All ears Meaning: to be very attentive and interested in what someone is saying. Example: When the teacher started talking about the upcoming field trip, the students were all ears.
Wet behind the ears Meaning: inexperienced; lacking knowledge or sophistication. Example: He may be smart, but he’s still wet behind the ears when it comes to dealing with difficult people.
Lend an ear Meaning: to listen attentively; offer a sympathetic ear. Example: Can I borrow your ear for a moment? I need to talk about something that’s been bothering me.
Close to the ear Meaning: a secret or confidential matter. Example: The CEO told me something close to the ear about the company’s future plans.
Walls have ears Meaning: be careful what you say, because someone may be listening. Example: Be careful what you say about your boss, remember, walls have ears.
Ear candy Meaning: pleasant or catchy sounds or music. Example: The pop song was just ear candy, but it was still fun to listen to.
Play it by ear Meaning: to make decisions as you go along; improvise. Example: We didn’t have a set plan for the day, so we decided to just play it by ear and see where we ended up.
Bite someone’s ear off Meaning: to speak to someone in an angry or aggressive way. Example: Don’t ask her any questions before she’s had her coffee, or she might bite your ear off.
Have someone’s ear Meaning: to have someone’s attention and influence. Example: He has the CEO’s ear and can get anything he wants.
Keep your ears open Meaning: to be alert and attentive; stay aware of what’s going on around you. Example: Keep your ears open for any updates on the weather, there’s a big storm coming.
In one ear and out the other Meaning: to hear something but immediately forget it. Example: I told him to study for the test, but it seems like my advice went in one ear and out the other.
To be up to one’s ears Meaning: to be very busy or involved in something. Example: He’s up to his ears in work and doesn’t have time for anything else.
Have a good ear for Meaning: to be able to distinguish and appreciate different sounds or music. Example: She has a good ear for classical music and can recognize the different composers.
Word in one’s ear Meaning: to give someone confidential information or advice. Example: She whispered a word in my ear about her boss’s plans to retire soon.
Out on one’s ear Meaning: to be dismissed or fired from a job. Example: After the scandal, he was out on his ear and had to find a new job.
Over one’s head Meaning: to be too difficult or complex to understand. Example: The technical jargon was over my head, and I didn’t understand what they were talking about.
To be wet behind the ears Meaning: to be inexperienced or naive. Example: The new intern is still wet behind the ears and needs a lot of guidance.
All eyes and ears Meaning: to be very attentive and observant. Example: The spy was all eyes and ears, carefully listening to every word said in the room.
Turn a tin ear Meaning: to be tone-deaf or not able to distinguish different sounds or music. Example: She turned a tin ear to his singing and couldn’t tell if he was off-key.
Give Someone an Earful Meaning: angrily express an opinion to someone Example: Wow, my mom gave me an earful when I said I’d be home at 1 a.m. Guess I’ll be going home early!
Be out of earshot Meaning: to be too far away to hear what’s being said. Example: I couldn’t hear what they were talking about because they were out of earshot.
Get someone’s ear Meaning: to persuade or influence someone. Example: He finally got his boss’s ear and was able to convince him to approve the project.
Speak off the top of one’s head Meaning: to speak without preparation or thought. Example: He didn’t have any notes, so he just spoke off the top of his head during the presentation.
Keep a close ear to the ground Meaning: to stay informed about something; to be vigilant and aware. Example: The politician kept a close ear to the ground to monitor public opinion.
Earworm Meaning: a song or tune that gets stuck in your head. Example: That jingle is an earworm that I can’t seem to get out of my head.
That’s Music to My Ears Meaning: I am very happy to hear this. Example: When the boss said I’d be getting a raise next year, that was music to my ears!
In the ear of the beholder Meaning: something’s beauty or value is subjective. Example: Art is in the ear of the beholder, and what one person finds beautiful, another might not.
Have a word in someone’s ear Meaning: to give someone a hint or advice. Example: I had a word in her ear about how to improve her presentation skills.
A sympathetic ear Meaning: someone who listens with compassion and understanding. Example: After the breakup, she needed a sympathetic ear to vent her feelings to.
Be music to one’s ears Meaning: something that is pleasing or satisfying to hear. Example: The sound of the rain was music to my ears after a long drought.
Earful Meaning: a lot of information or a reprimand. Example: He got an earful from his boss after he missed the deadline.
Be out on one’s ear Meaning: to be forced to leave a place or job abruptly. Example: After the disagreement, he was out on his ear and had to find a new place to stay.
Prick up one’s ears Meaning: to suddenly become attentive or interested in something. Example: The dog pricked up his ears when he heard the sound of the doorbell.
Have an ear to the ground Meaning: to stay informed about the latest news or trends. Example: She always had an ear to the ground and knew what was happening in the industry.
Up to one’s ears in debt Meaning: to owe a lot of money. Example: He was up to his ears in debt and had to file for bankruptcy.
Cock an ear Meaning: to listen attentively or carefully. Example: The cat cocked her ear when she heard the sound of the can opener.
In the earshot of Meaning: within hearing range of someone. Example: Don’t say anything you don’t want your boss to hear when you’re in the earshot of his office.
Ear-splitting Meaning: extremely loud or piercing. Example: The sound of the fire alarm was ear-splitting and gave everyone a headache.
Fine-tune one’s ear Meaning: to train oneself to recognize subtle sounds or differences in pitch. Example: As a musician, he had to fine-tune his ear to hear the different notes in a melody.
Close one’s ears to Meaning: to refuse to listen to something or someone. Example: She closed her ears to the criticism and focused on the positive feedback.
Be up to one’s ears Meaning: to be extremely busy or overwhelmed with work or responsibilities. Example: I can’t go out tonight, I’m up to my ears in work and have a deadline tomorrow.
All ears Meaning: to be very attentive and interested in what someone is saying. Example: Go ahead, I’m all ears. Tell me what happened at the meeting.
Be in one ear and out the other Meaning: to hear something but quickly forget it. Example: I told him to be careful, but it went in one ear and out the other, and he got hurt.
Wet behind the ears Meaning: to be inexperienced or naive. Example: He’s still wet behind the ears when it comes to managing a team.
Be within earshot Meaning: to be close enough to hear something. Example: I overheard their conversation because I was within earshot of where they were sitting.
Have the ears of a hawk Meaning: to have excellent hearing and be able to pick up on subtle sounds. Example: She could hear the slightest rustle of leaves outside her window – she has the ears of a hawk.
Be a feast for the ears Meaning: to be pleasant or enjoyable to listen to. Example: The symphony was a feast for the ears – I could listen to it all night.
The walls have ears Meaning: to be cautious about what you say because you never know who might be listening. Example: Be careful what you say in this office – the walls have ears and you don’t want to get into trouble.
