Meaning & use
ears
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“ears” is a form of “ear”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
The two parts of the body, one on each side of the head, used for hearing.
Grammar: Plural of ear; use it for both ears together, and 'an ear' for just one.
Patterns
- cover your ears
- clean your ears
- have good ears
The music was so loud that I covered my ears.
Rabbits have long ears that help them hear danger.
He washed his ears carefully after swimming.
nounplural
The ability to notice sounds or to hear music accurately.
Grammar: Used in fixed phrases like 'a good ear for' or 'have an ear for'; the plural ears is common in 'have good ears'.
Patterns
- have an ear for music
- have a good ear for something
She has an ear for languages and learns them quickly.
He has a good ear for jazz and can name any tune.
Word forms
| singular | ear |
|---|
Common combinations
- cover your ears
- Cover your ears; the train horn is very loud.
- have an ear for music
- The child clearly has an ear for music.
- play it by ear
- We'll play it by ear and decide when we get there.
- walls have ears
- Be careful what you say here; walls have ears.
- up to your ears in work
- I'm up to my ears in work this week.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hearing
- Hearing is the ability to hear in general, while ears often refers to the physical body parts.
Word family
Commonly confused: ears or years?
ears vs years
Ears and years sound similar in fast speech; years means periods of twelve months, ears are body parts.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'ears' correctly?
Choose one answer.
Ears are on the head, so the first sentence is correct. Hands, tails, and eyes are the wrong body parts for ears.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “ears”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.