Meaning & use
all ears idiom
Last updated
Meaning
phrasefixed phraseinformal
used to say that you are listening carefully and are eager to hear what someone will say
Grammar: It is a fixed phrase, often used with 'be': 'I'm all ears.' It is not usually used before a noun.
Patterns
- be all ears
- I'm all ears
- we're all ears
Go on, tell me the news — I'm all ears.
When the manager mentioned a bonus, everyone was all ears.
She said she had an idea, and we were all ears.
Common combinations
- I'm all ears
- 'I'm all ears,' he said, leaning forward.
- be all ears
- The students were all ears during the guest speaker's talk.
- suddenly all ears
- When he mentioned free tickets, I was suddenly all ears.
Synonyms and how they differ
- listening closely
- This is a plain description, not an idiom, and it does not show eagerness the way 'all ears' does.
- attentive
- This adjective is more formal and can describe careful attention in general, not just listening.
Opposites
Commonly confused: all ears idiom or all years?
all ears idiom vs all years
'All years' means every year; 'all ears' means listening carefully. They sound similar but have completely different meanings.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses 'all ears' correctly.
Choose one answer.
'All ears' means you are eager to listen, so B fits. An and C treat 'ears' literally, and D suggests something happened after the event, not that she was listening.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “all ears idiom”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.