Antonyms for lend ear


Grammar : Verb
Spell : eer
Phonetic Transcription : ɪər


Definition of lend ear

Origin :
  • "organ of hearing," Old English eare "ear," from Proto-Germanic *auzon (cf. Old Norse eyra, Danish øre, Old Frisian are, Old Saxon ore, Middle Dutch ore, Dutch oor, Old High German ora, German Ohr, Gothic auso), from PIE *ous- with a sense of "perception" (cf. Greek aus, Latin auris, Lithuanian ausis, Old Church Slavonic ucho, Old Irish au "ear," Avestan usi "the two ears"). The belief that itching or burning ears means someone is talking about you is mentioned in Pliny's "Natural History" (77 C.E.). Until at least the 1880s, even some medical men still believed piercing the ear lobes improved one's eyesight. Meaning "handle of a pitcher" is mid-15c. (but cf. Old English earde "having a handle"). To be wet behind the ears "naive" is implied from 1914. Phrase walls have ears attested from 1610s. Ear-bash (v.) is Australian slang (1944) for "to talk inordinately" (to someone).
  • As in listen : verb hear and pay attention
  • As in attend : verb pay attention; apply oneself
Example sentences :
  • He raised a finger for them to lend ear and gazed through the crack of the door.
  • Extract from : « The Fifth Queen » by Ford Madox Ford
  • Carmen refused to lend ear to it, or to see in it anything more than a varied expression of the human mind.
  • Extract from : « Carmen Ariza » by Charles Francis Stocking

Synonyms for lend ear

Based on : Thesaurus.com - Gutenberg.org - Dictionary.com - Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019