Meaning & use
play by ear
To perform music from memory or by instinct, without reading written notation.
See it in a sentence
She never learned to read sheet music but can play almost any song by ear.
Rather than planning every detail, they decided to play the trip by ear.
A note on using this word
Beyond music, 'play it by ear' figuratively means deciding on a course of action as a situation unfolds, without a fixed plan.
Words with a similar meaning
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