idiom |
1. give To pay close attention; listen attentively. |
2. have To be on the watch for new trends or information. |
3. in one ear and out the other Without any influence or effect; unheeded: His mind was made up, so my arguments went in one ear and out the other. |
4. its In a state of amazement, excitement, or uproar: a controversial movie that set the film industry on its ear. |
5. play it by ear To act according to the circumstances; improvise: "He plays his negotiations by ear, going into them with no clear or fixed plan” ( George F. Kennan). |
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noun |
1. Anatomy The vertebrate organ of hearing, responsible for maintaining equilibrium as well as sensing sound and divided in mammals into the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear. |
2. Anatomy The part of this organ that is externally visible. |
3. An invertebrate organ analogous to the mammalian ear. |
4. The sense of hearing: a sound that grates on the ear. |
5. Sensitivity or receptiveness to sound, especially: |
6. Sharpness or refinement of hearing: a singer with a good ear for harmony. |
7. The ability to play a passage of music solely from hearing it: plays the piano by ear. |
8. Responsiveness to the sounds or forms of spoken language: a writer with a good ear for dialogue; has an ear for foreign languages. |
9. Sympathetic or favorable attention: "[The President] wavers between the two positions, depending on who last had his ear” ( Joseph C. Harsch). |
10. Something resembling the external ear in position or shape, especially: |
11. A flexible tuft of feathers located above the eyes of certain birds, such as owls, that functions in visual communication but not in hearing. Also called ear tuft. |
12. A projecting handle, as on a vase or pitcher. |
13. A small box in the upper corner of the page in a newspaper or periodical that contains a printed notice, such as promotional material or weather information. |
14. Informal Headphones. |
15. The seed-bearing spike of a cereal plant, such as corn. |
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verb-intransitive |
1. To form or grow ears. |
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