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Meaning & use

music to my ears

phrase·Everydayinformal

Last updated

UK/ˈmjuːzɪk tə maɪ ɪəz/
US/ˈmjuːzɪk tə maɪ ɪrz/

Meanings

  1. phraseidiominformalfigurative

    Used to say that what you have just heard is very welcome and pleasing to you.

    Grammar: The pronoun matches the listener: music to my ears, music to his ears.

    Patterns

    • be music to someone's ears
    • something is music to someone's ears

    When the doctor said I could go home, it was music to my ears.

    Free dessert? That is music to my ears.

    The sound of the school bell at three was music to the students' ears.

  2. phrasefixed phraseinformal

    Used as a short reply showing you are happy about a suggestion or piece of news.

    Grammar: Can stand alone as a reply: Music to my ears!

    Patterns

    • That is music to my ears.

    You can finish early today? Music to my ears!

    Your flight has been moved earlier, you say? Music to my ears.

    The boss announced extra days off, which was music to our ears.

Common combinations

sounds like music to my ears
A quiet weekend sounds like music to my ears.
music to her ears
The applause was music to her ears.
music to our ears
The news of the delay ending was music to our ears.
be music to someone's ears
Those words are music to a tired parent's ears.
absolute music to my ears
Hearing the rain after the drought was absolute music to my ears.

Synonyms and how they differ

welcome news
Welcome news is plain and neutral, while music to my ears is a lively idiom showing personal delight.
a sweet sound
A sweet sound can refer to an actual sound, whereas music to my ears usually refers to good news.
just what I wanted to hear
This is a plain sentence that explains the feeling, whereas the idiom is shorter and more expressive.

Opposites

bad newsa nightmare

Word family

music noun
organized sound for enjoyment
musical adjective
relating to music
musician noun
a person who plays or writes music

Commonly confused: music to my ears or easy on the ears?

music to my ears vs easy on the ears

Easy on the ears describes sounds that are pleasant to listen to, while music to my ears describes news you are happy to hear.

Practice

When my manager said we could leave early on Friday, it was ____.

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