ear

A1
US /ˈɛː/ UK /ˈɪə̯/
noun Freq #2218

Meanings

  1. 1
    noun

    good hearing

    I have an ear for good music.

  2. 2
    noun

    attention to what is said

    They tried to get my ear.

  3. 3
    noun

    The external part of the organ of hearing, the auricle.

    Judge Short had gone to town, and Farrar was off for a three days' cruise up the lake. I was bitterly regretting I had not gone with him when the distant notes of a coach horn reached my ear, and I descried a four-in-hand winding its way up the inn road from the direction of Mohair.

  4. 4
    noun

    A police informant.

    No I'm not kidding, and if you don't give it to me I'll let it out that you’re an ear.

  5. 5
    noun

    The sense of hearing; the perception of sounds; skill or good taste in listening to music.

    a good ear for music

  6. 6
    noun

    The privilege of being kindly heard; favour; attention.

    Dionysius[…]would give no ear to his suit.

  7. 7
    noun

    That which resembles in shape or position the ear of an animal; a prominence or projection on an object, usually for support or attachment; a lug; a handle; a foot-rest or step of a spade or a similar digging tool.

    the ears of a tub, skillet, or dish; The ears of a boat are outside kneepieces near the bow.

  8. 8
    noun

    A space to the left or right of a publication's front-page title, used for advertising, weather, etc.

    In journalism, ears flank the title as boxes in the left and right top corners of a publication (generally a newspaper).

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- Proto-Indo-European *-s Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws Proto-Germanic *ausô Proto-West Germanic *auʀā Old English ēare Middle English ere English ear From Middle English ere, eare, from Old English ēare (“ear”), from Proto-West Germanic *auʀā, from the voiced Verner alternant of Proto-Germanic *ausô (“ear”) (compare Scots ere, er, eir, West Frisian ear, Dutch oor, German Ohr, Swedish öra, Danish øre), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ṓws (compare Old Irish áu, Latin auris, Lithuanian ausi̇̀s, Russian у́хо (úxo), Albanian vesh, Ancient Greek οὖς (oûs), and Old A…

View etymology graph →

Thesaurus

Synonyms
earballlistenerlugshell-like
Word family
Derived forms close-earclosed-earcrop-eardog's-eardog-earear-achinglyear-budear-fingerear-mindedear-piercingear-piercinglyear-rape
Related forms aural

Send feedback

Optional — only if you'd like a reply.