ear

Universal Words noun 1 [C] either of the organs on the sides of the head that you hear with: an ear infection * the inner / outer ear * She whispered something in his ear. * He put his hands over his ears. * She's had her ears pierced. * The elephant flapped its ears. * He was always there with a sympathetic ear (= a willingness to listen to people). * (BrE) She gave him a clip round the ear (= hit him on the head because of sth he had done). seealsoCAULIFLOWEREAR, GLUEEAR, MIDDLEEAR 2 (-eared) (in adjectives) having the type of ears mentioned: a long-eared owl 3 [sing.] an ability to recognize and copy sounds well: She has always had an ear for languages. * You need a good ear to master the piano. 4 [C] the top part of a grain plant, such as wheat, that contains the seeds: ears of corn IDIOMS be all ears (informal) to be waiting with interest to hear what sb has to say: 'Do you know what he said?' 'Go on-I'm all ears.' be out on your ear (informal) to be forced to leave (a job, etc.) be up to your ears in sth to have a lot of sth to deal with: We're up to our ears in work. sth comes to / reaches sb's ears somebody hears about sth, especially when other people already know about it: News of his affair eventually reached her ears. sb's ears are burning a person thinks that other people are talking about them, especially in an unkind way: 'I bumped into your ex-wife last night.' 'I thought I could feel my ears burning!' sb's ears are flapping (BrE, informal) a person is trying to listen to sb else's conversation go in one ear and out the other (informal) (of information, etc.) to be forgotten quickly: Everything I tell them just goes in one ear and out the other. have sb's ear