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Meaning & use

earlobe

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/ˈɪələʊb/
US/ˈɪrloʊb/

Meaning

  1. nouncountable

    The soft rounded part at the bottom of the outer ear, with no bone inside it.

    Grammar: Plural is earlobes; people have two: she touched her left earlobe.

    Patterns

    • pierce an earlobe
    • tug at an earlobe

    She had her earlobes pierced at the age of twelve.

    He tugged at his earlobe when he was thinking.

    The cold wind made her earlobes sting.

Word forms

pluralearlobes

Common combinations

pierced earlobe
A pierced earlobe needs careful cleaning at first.
tug an earlobe
The speaker kept tugging an earlobe while he talked.
earlobe piercing
An earlobe piercing heals faster than one in cartilage.
dangle from the earlobe
A silver hoop dangled from her earlobe.
sunburnt earlobes
He came home with sunburnt earlobes after the match.

Synonyms and how they differ

lobe
Lobe is shorter and can refer to parts of other organs, such as the brain or lungs, while earlobe is specific to the ear.
lobule
Lobule is the technical anatomical term, used by doctors rather than in ordinary talk.

Word family

ear noun
the organ used for hearing
lobe noun
a rounded hanging or projecting part
earring noun
jewelry worn on the ear
eardrum noun
the thin membrane inside the ear that vibrates with sound

Commonly confused: earlobe or eardrum?

earlobe vs eardrum

The eardrum is a thin membrane deep inside the ear, while the earlobe is the soft outside part you can touch.

Practice

Where do people usually wear a stud earring?

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