50 Idioms About Ears With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms About Ears
1. All ears
Meaning: To be eager to listen.
In a Sentence: I’m all ears! Tell me what happened at the game.
Other Ways to Say: Ready to listen, paying full attention
2. Keep your ears open
Meaning: To listen carefully and pay attention to what’s going on.
In a Sentence: Keep your ears open for any news about the upcoming party.
Other Ways to Say: Listen closely, stay alert
3. Music to my ears
Meaning: Something that is very pleasant to hear.
In a Sentence: Her compliments were music to my ears.
Other Ways to Say: Delightful news, sweet sound
4. In one ear and out the other
Meaning: Heard but quickly forgotten.
In a Sentence: Whatever I tell him goes in one ear and out the other.
Other Ways to Say: Easily forgotten, ignored
5. Wet behind the ears
Meaning: Inexperienced or new at something.
In a Sentence: He’s still wet behind the ears when it comes to business.
Other Ways to Say: Green, naive, a rookie
6. Play it by ear
Meaning: To improvise or handle things as they come.
In a Sentence: We don’t have a plan — we’ll just play it by ear.
Other Ways to Say: Improvise, go with the flow
7. Up to your ears
Meaning: Very busy or deeply involved.
In a Sentence: I’m up to my ears in work today.
Other Ways to Say: Swamped, overloaded
8. Turn a deaf ear
Meaning: To ignore someone intentionally.
In a Sentence: She turned a deaf ear to his excuses.
Other Ways to Say: Ignore, disregard
9. Fall on deaf ears
Meaning: Be ignored or not acknowledged.
In a Sentence: His warnings fell on deaf ears.
Other Ways to Say: Unheeded, overlooked
10. Walls have ears
Meaning: Be careful; someone might be listening.
In a Sentence: Speak softly, the walls have ears.
Other Ways to Say: Be discreet, watch what you say
11. Eavesdrop
Meaning: To secretly listen to someone’s conversation.
In a Sentence: He was caught eavesdropping on their private talk.
Other Ways to Say: Spy, snoop, listen in
12. Prick up your ears
Meaning: Start listening attentively.
In a Sentence: I pricked up my ears when I heard my name.
Other Ways to Say: Pay attention, perk up
13. Give someone an earful
Meaning: To scold or tell someone off.
In a Sentence: The coach gave him an earful for missing practice.
Other Ways to Say: Lecture, reprimand
14. Blow your ears off
Meaning: Something very loud or shocking.
In a Sentence: That explosion nearly blew my ears off!
Other Ways to Say: Deafening, very loud
15. Out on your ear
Meaning: Kicked out or dismissed.
In a Sentence: He was out on his ear after the argument with his boss.
Other Ways to Say: Fired, thrown out
16. Ears are burning
Meaning: You feel someone is talking about you.
In a Sentence: My ears were burning — were you gossiping about me?
Other Ways to Say: Sense gossip, feel discussed
17. Play by ear
Meaning: Play music without written notes; improvise.
In a Sentence: He can play any song by ear!
Other Ways to Say: Freestyle, go with instinct
18. Bend someone’s ear
Meaning: Talk to someone for a long time.
In a Sentence: He bent my ear about his vacation for hours.
Other Ways to Say: Chat endlessly, ramble
19. Have big ears
Meaning: To be curious or nosy.
In a Sentence: Be careful, the kid has big ears!
Other Ways to Say: Nosy, inquisitive
20. Lend an ear
Meaning: To listen sympathetically.
In a Sentence: She always lends an ear when I’m upset.
Other Ways to Say: Listen kindly, be supportive
21. Have someone’s ear
Meaning: To have someone’s attention or influence.
In a Sentence: She has the manager’s ear, so her ideas always get considered.
Other Ways to Say: Be influential, be trusted by someone
22. Play it by ear
Meaning: To act without a plan; to improvise.
In a Sentence: We don’t have a schedule—let’s just play it by ear.
Other Ways to Say: Improvise, go with the flow
23. Lend an ear
Meaning: To listen attentively and sympathetically.
In a Sentence: Can you lend an ear? I need to talk to someone.
Other Ways to Say: Be a good listener, hear someone out
24. Music to my ears
Meaning: Something pleasant to hear.
In a Sentence: Your good news was music to my ears.
Other Ways to Say: Wonderful to hear, very pleasing
25. Fall on deaf ears
Meaning: To be ignored or not considered.
In a Sentence: His complaints fell on deaf ears at the office.
Other Ways to Say: Be ignored, go unnoticed
26. Wet behind the ears
Meaning: Inexperienced or naïve.
In a Sentence: He’s still wet behind the ears, so don’t expect too much.
Other Ways to Say: Green, a newbie
27. Grin from ear to ear
Meaning: To smile broadly.
In a Sentence: She was grinning from ear to ear after hearing the good news.
Other Ways to Say: Beaming, very happy
28. Pin your ears back
Meaning: To listen carefully or prepare for criticism.
In a Sentence: Pin your ears back; the coach is about to give tough feedback.
Other Ways to Say: Brace yourself, listen sharply
29. Walls have ears
Meaning: Be cautious; someone might be listening.
In a Sentence: Let’s talk quietly—the walls have ears.
Other Ways to Say: Speak carefully, beware of eavesdroppers
30. In one ear and out the other
Meaning: Quickly forgotten; not taken seriously.
In a Sentence: Everything I say goes in one ear and out the other with him.
Other Ways to Say: Not retained, ignored
31. Have big ears
Meaning: To eavesdrop or listen to things not meant for you.
In a Sentence: Don’t say too much—kids have big ears.
Other Ways to Say: Be nosy, overhear
32. Ears are burning
Meaning: When you feel someone is talking about you.
In a Sentence: My ears were burning—were you talking about me?
Other Ways to Say: Feel talked about, sense gossip
33. Blow it out your ear
Meaning: A rude way to dismiss someone’s comment.
In a Sentence: You didn’t like my idea? Blow it out your ear!
Other Ways to Say: Get lost, don’t care
34. Talk someone’s ear off
Meaning: To talk excessively or nonstop.
In a Sentence: She talked my ear off about her vacation for an hour.
Other Ways to Say: Ramble, chatter nonstop
35. Be all ears and no brains
Meaning: Listen a lot but understand little.
In a Sentence: He listens but never gets it—he’s all ears and no brains.
Other Ways to Say: Not bright, clueless listener
36. Ears perked up
Meaning: To suddenly start listening attentively.
In a Sentence: My ears perked up when I heard my name mentioned.
Other Ways to Say: Became alert, paid close attention
37. Long in the ear
Meaning: Slightly old or experienced (variation of “long in the tooth”).
In a Sentence: He’s getting a bit long in the ear for these games.
Other Ways to Say: Aged, no longer young
38. Music falls flat on ears
Meaning: When music or a message isn’t appreciated.
In a Sentence: Her performance fell flat on the audience’s ears.
Other Ways to Say: Unimpressive, not received well
39. Ears like a bat
Meaning: Very good hearing.
In a Sentence: Don’t whisper around her—she’s got ears like a bat.
Other Ways to Say: Sharp hearing, can hear everything
40. Pull someone’s ear
Meaning: To reprimand or scold.
In a Sentence: The teacher pulled my ear for being late again.
Other Ways to Say: Scold, rebuke
41. Not believe your ears
Meaning: Be shocked or surprised by what you hear.
In a Sentence: I couldn’t believe my ears when she apologized.
Other Ways to Say: Be stunned, be shocked
42. Full of ears
Meaning: Surrounded by people listening in.
In a Sentence: We can’t talk here—it’s full of ears.
Other Ways to Say: Too public, not private
43. Make your ears ring
Meaning: Loud or high-pitched sound that hurts your ears.
In a Sentence: That concert made my ears ring for hours.
Other Ways to Say: Ears hurt, loud buzz
44. Quick on the ear
Meaning: Able to understand or respond quickly to sound.
In a Sentence: He’s quick on the ear and picks up accents fast.
Other Ways to Say: Fast learner, attentive listener
45. Have a tin ear
Meaning: No sense of musical pitch or tone.
In a Sentence: He loves singing, but he has a tin ear.
Other Ways to Say: Tone-deaf, musically challenged
46. Drag someone by the ear
Meaning: To forcefully bring someone or make them act.
In a Sentence: She dragged her brother by the ear out of the room.
Other Ways to Say: Pull someone away, force out
47. Out on your ear
Meaning: To be thrown out or dismissed.
In a Sentence: If he keeps slacking, he’ll be out on his ear.
Other Ways to Say: Get fired, be dismissed
48. Have ears for someone
Meaning: To listen specifically and sympathetically to someone.
In a Sentence: He always has ears for her whenever she needs to vent.
Other Ways to Say: Listen closely, be attentive to one person
49. In the ears of the beholder
Meaning: Sound is subjective, like taste.
In a Sentence: Some say it’s noise, others call it music—it’s in the ears of the beholder.
Other Ways to Say: Depends on taste, subjective hearing
50. Ears wide open
Meaning: Listening attentively and eagerly.
In a Sentence: The students sat with ears wide open during the space talk.
Other Ways to Say: Focused, paying full attention
