word-vault

{ "term": "ear", "partOfSpeech": "noun", "ox3000": true, "cefr": "a1", "image": "data/images/bo/body.png", "definitions": [ { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "either of the organs on the sides of the head that you hear with", "sensetop": "in somebody's ear", "cefr": "a1", "ox3000": true, "examples": [ { "text": "the left/right ear" }, { "text": "He put his hands over his ears." }, { "text": "She's **had her ears pierced**." }, { "text": "The elephant flapped its ears." }, { "text": "She whispered something in his ear.", "contextForm": "in somebody's ear" }, { "text": "He was now screaming in my ear." }, { "text": "He was always there with a **sympathetic ear** *(= was always willing to listen to people)*." }, { "text": "an **ear infection**" }, { "text": "A blast of punk rock music assaulted her ears." }, { "text": "A horse may show annoyance by putting its ears back." }, { "text": "A small noise caught his ear." }, { "text": "At first I stopped my ears to what I did not want to hear." }, { "text": "Blood from his torn ear was soaking his collar." }, { "text": "Chinese music uses a scale that is unfamiliar to Western ears." }, { "text": "Christopher felt his ears reddening." }, { "text": "Dogs can hear things that human ears can't hear." }, { "text": "Each animal receives an individual ear tag." }, { "text": "He has really big ears that stick out." }, { "text": "She pressed her ear to the door, but heard nothing." }, { "text": "He waited in the darkness, his ears alert for the slightest sound." }, { "text": "If you suck a sweet as the plane takes off it stops your ears popping." }, { "text": "a rabbit with long floppy ears" }, { "text": "He could hear much better after having his ears cleaned out." }, { "text": "She nibbled on his ear." }, { "text": "His sharp ears had picked up the uncertainty in her voice." }, { "text": "Drop a quiet word in her ear about it before it's too late." }, { "text": "I have a few words for your ears alone." }, { "text": "I strained my ears to catch the conversation in the other room." }, { "text": "If news of the break-in reaches the boss's ears, we're in trouble." }, { "text": "My heart was pounding in my ears." }, { "text": "She couldn't see, but her ears told her that the guards had arrived." }, { "text": "She did not like the scheme, as she made clear every time she found a receptive ear." }, { "text": "The dog pricked up its ears." }, { "text": "The explosion set my ears ringing and even made me jump a bit." }, { "text": "The sound of the blast filled my ears." }, { "text": "The voices buzzing all around echoed in her ears." } ], "topics": ["Body"], "collocations": { "adjective": ["left", "right", "inner"], "verb + ear": ["plug", "stop", "block"], "ear + verb": ["catch something", "detect something", "hear something"], "ear + noun": ["canal", "drum", "lobe"], "preposition": ["in your ear"], "phrases": [ "be all ears", "beam, grin, smile, etc. from ear to ear", "bend somebody’s ear" ] } }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "having the type of ears mentioned", "examples": [ { "text": "a long-eared owl" } ] }, { "senseNumber": 3, "definition": "an ability to recognize and copy sounds well", "examples": [ { "text": "She has always had an ear for languages." }, { "text": "You need a good ear to master the piano." }, { "text": "He has a keen ear for dialogue." }, { "text": "She has a good ear for accents and can usually tell where a speaker comes from." }, { "text": "To the trained ear the calls of these birds sound quite different." }, { "text": "It takes time to attune your ear to the local accent." } ], "collocations": { "adjective": ["fine", "good", "keen"], "verb + ear": ["have", "attune"], "preposition": ["by ear", "ear for"], "phrases": ["have a tin ear for something"] } }, { "senseNumber": 4, "definition": "the top part of a grain plant, such as wheat, that contains the seeds", "cefr": "c2", "examples": [ { "text": "ears of corn" } ], "topics": ["Farming"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be waiting with interest to hear what somebody has to say", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "‘Do you know what he said?’ ‘Go on—I'm all ears.’" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to talk to somebody a lot about something, especially about a problem that you have", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be forced to leave (a job, etc.)", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to have a lot of something to deal with", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "We're up to our ears in work." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to hit somebody with your hand on the side of their head as a punishment", "labels": "(old-fashioned)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to look at or listen to something/somebody carefully and with a lot of attention", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "somebody hears about something, especially when other people already know about it", "examples": [ { "text": "News of his affair eventually reached her ears." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "a person thinks that other people are talking about them, especially in an unkind way", "examples": [ { "text": "‘I bumped into your ex-wife last night.’ ‘I thought I could feel my ears burning!’" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "a person is trying to listen to somebody else’s conversation", "labels": "(British English, informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "pleasant to listen to", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "Their music is all very easy on the ear." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "pleasant to listen to or look at", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "The room was painted in soft pastels that were easy on the eye." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be ignored or not noticed by other people", "examples": [ { "text": "Her advice fell on deaf ears." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to hit somebody/be hit on the head as a punishment", "labels": "(British English, informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "You’ll get a thick ear if you’re not careful!" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be forgotten quickly", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "Everything I tell them just goes in one ear and out the other." }, { "text": "I knew that my words were going in one ear and out the other." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to have a lot of something, especially more than you need", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "That man has money coming out of his ears." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be able to give somebody advice, influence them, etc. because they trust you", "examples": [ { "text": "He had the ear of the monarch." }, { "text": "This was the woman who had the ear of the President." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to speak to somebody privately about something", "labels": "(British English)", "examples": [ { "text": "Can I have a word in your ear about tomorrow's presentation?" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to listen out for somebody/something that you might hear", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to listen or look out for somebody/something that you might hear or see", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to make sure that you always find out about the most recent developments in a particular situation", "examples": [ { "text": "The agent had no suitable properties on his books but promised to keep an ear to the ground for us." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to listen in a patient and kind way to somebody", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to do something badly; to make a mess of something", "labels": "(British English, informal)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "(you won't) succeed in making something good out of material that does not seem very good at all", "examples": [], "topics": ["Success"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "news or information that you are very pleased to hear", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be very surprised at something you hear", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard the news." }, { "text": "She actually apologized. I couldn't believe my ears!" } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be very surprised at something you hear/see", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "I couldn't believe my eyes when she walked in." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to play music by remembering how it sounds rather than by reading it", "examples": [ { "text": "She usually plays the guitar by ear, rather than reading the music." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to decide how to deal with a situation as it develops rather than by having a plan to follow", "labels": "(informal)", "examples": [ { "text": "I’m not sure how many people are expected—we’ll just have to play it by ear." } ] }, { "senseNumber": 1, "definition": "to raise the ears", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": 2, "definition": "to listen carefully because you have just heard something interesting; to listen out for something you might hear", "examples": [ { "text": "Her ears pricked up at the sound of his name." }, { "text": "I walked along, ears pricked for the slightest noise." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to make you feel that you can still hear something", "examples": [ { "text": "His warning was still ringing in my ears." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to refuse to listen to something", "examples": [ { "text": "She decided to shut her ears to all the rumours." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to be smiling, etc. a lot because you are very pleased about something", "examples": [ { "text": "He was beaming from ear to ear." } ], "topics": ["Feelings"] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "to ignore or refuse to listen to somebody/something", "examples": [ { "text": "He turned a deaf ear to the rumours." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "used to warn people to be careful what they say because other people may be listening", "labels": "(saying)", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "young and without much experience", "labels": "(informal, disapproving)", "examples": [ { "text": "He was still wet behind the ears, politically." } ] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "if somebody sends a person away with a flea in their ear, they tell them angrily to go away", "examples": [] }, { "senseNumber": null, "definition": "without giving your full attention to what is being said, etc.", "examples": [ { "text": "He listened to her with only half an ear as he watched TV." } ] } ], "pronunciations": { "uk": [ { "pronunciation": "/ɪə(r)/", "audio": "ea/ear/ear__gb_2.mp3" } ], "us": [ { "pronunciation": "/ɪr/", "audio": "ea/ear/ear__us_1.mp3" } ] }, "wordOrigin": "senses 1 to 3 Old English ēare, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch oor and German Ohr, from an Indo-European root shared by Latin auris and Greek ous.sense 4 Old English ēar, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch aar and German Ähre." }