Meaning & use
ear
Last updated
Meanings
nouncountable
Either of the two organs on the sides of the head that are used for hearing and balance.
Grammar: Countable; often used in the plural when talking about both, e.g. 'clean your ears'.
Patterns
- someone's ear
- in someone's ear
- an ear infection
She whispered something in his ear.
The loud music hurt my ears.
He has an ear infection and cannot hear well.
nounsingular
A natural ability to notice or appreciate sounds, especially in music or language.
Grammar: Usually singular and used with 'an' or 'a' followed by 'for', e.g. 'an ear for music'.
Patterns
- an ear for something
- have an ear for something
She has a good ear for languages and learns them quickly.
He doesn't have much of an ear for jazz.
Word forms
| plural | ears |
|---|
Common combinations
- in one ear and out the other
- I told him to study, but it went in one ear and out the other.
- play it by ear
- We don't have a plan; we'll play it by ear.
- have an ear for
- She has an ear for accents.
- turn a deaf ear
- The manager turned a deaf ear to our complaints.
- ear infection
- The child stayed home because of an ear infection.
Word family
- earache noun
- Pain inside the ear.
- earring noun
- A piece of jewelry worn on the ear.
- earshot noun
- The distance within which you can hear something.
- eared adjective
- Having ears of a specified kind, e.g. 'long-eared'.
Commonly confused: ear or year?
ear vs year
Year is a period of twelve months; ear is the body part. They sound similar but are different words.
Practice
She has a good ___ for music.
Choose one answer.
The expression is 'have an ear for music', meaning a natural ability. 'Year' is a time period; 'hearing' and 'listen' do not fit the fixed phrase.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ear”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.