Sometimes, people don’t listen the way we want them to. They might ignore us, pretend to listen, or just not hear what we say. When this happens, we often use special phrases to describe it. These phrases are called idioms. Idioms are expressions that don’t mean exactly what the words say. They have a different meaning than people understand from how they’re used.
In this article, we’ll look at idioms about listening. These sayings help us talk about good listening, bad listening, or even pretending to listen. You may hear these idioms at school, at home, or even in movies. They can help you understand what people really mean and help you talk in a fun and clear way. Let’s find out what they mean and how to use them.
Idioms about Listening
1. Turn a deaf ear
Meaning: To ignore what someone says
Within a Sentence: He turned a deaf ear when his sister asked for help. / She turned a deaf ear to the teacher’s warnings.
In Other Words: Pretended not to hear. / Didn’t listen on purpose.
2. Fall on deaf ears
Meaning: Not listened to or ignored
Within a Sentence: My advice fell on deaf ears. / Her warnings fell on deaf ears during the game.
In Other Words: No one paid attention. / People didn’t listen.
3. In one ear and out the other
Meaning: Heard but quickly forgotten
Within a Sentence: What Mom said went in one ear and out the other. / His instructions went in one ear and out the other.
In Other Words: Didn’t remember. / Forgot right away.
4. Give someone a hearing
Meaning: Let someone speak and be listened to
Within a Sentence: The teacher gave the student a hearing before deciding. / My coach gave me a hearing about my idea.
In Other Words: Listened fairly. / Heard someone out.
5. Hear something through the grapevine
Meaning: Hear something from others, not directly
Within a Sentence: I heard through the grapevine that we have a quiz. / She heard through the grapevine about the party.
In Other Words: Found out by rumors. / Heard from someone else.
6. Lend an ear
Meaning: To listen carefully and kindly
Within a Sentence: He lent an ear to his friend who was sad. / I always lend an ear when my brother needs to talk.
In Other Words: Paid attention. / Listened kindly.
7. Play it by ear
Meaning: Decide what to do as it happens
Within a Sentence: Let’s play it by ear and see if it rains. / We’ll play it by ear at the game.
In Other Words: Wait and see. / Don’t plan too much.
8. Music to my ears
Meaning: Something good to hear
Within a Sentence: The news about no homework was music to my ears. / Her praise was music to his ears.
In Other Words: Great to hear. / Made me happy.
9. Turn up your ears
Meaning: Listen closely
Within a Sentence: Turn up your ears, this is important. / He turned up his ears when he heard his name.
In Other Words: Paid attention. / Listened better.
10. All ears
Meaning: Ready to listen
Within a Sentence: I’m all ears for your story. / She said, “I’m all ears,” before I began.
In Other Words: Really listening. / Ready to hear it.
11. Fall silent
Meaning: To stop speaking and listen
Within a Sentence: The class fell silent when the principal came in. / We fell silent to hear the news.
In Other Words: Stopped talking. / Listened quietly.
12. It fell flat
Meaning: Not noticed or ignored
Within a Sentence: My joke fell flat in the noisy lunchroom. / Her idea fell flat because no one listened.
In Other Words: Didn’t get attention. / Wasn’t heard well.
13. Hard of hearing
Meaning: Trouble hearing
Within a Sentence: Grandpa is a little hard of hearing. / I had to speak louder since he was hard of hearing.
In Other Words: Can’t hear well. / Needs louder sounds.
14. Ear to the ground
Meaning: Staying alert for news
Within a Sentence: I keep my ear to the ground for school updates. / He has his ear to the ground for new games.
In Other Words: Always listening. / Ready for new info.
15. Goes unheard
Meaning: Not listened to
Within a Sentence: Sometimes my ideas go unheard. / His warning went unheard in the group.
In Other Words: Ignored. / No one listened.
16. Let it go in one ear
Meaning: Hear something but not think about it
Within a Sentence: I let her yelling go in one ear. / The mean words went in one ear and stayed there.
In Other Words: Didn’t care. / Didn’t think about it.
17. Give someone a piece of your mind
Meaning: Speak to someone angrily because they didn’t listen
Within a Sentence: I gave him a piece of my mind for not listening. / Mom gave me a piece of her mind after I ignored her.
In Other Words: Spoke angrily. / Told someone off.
18. Heard it loud and clear
Meaning: Understood something well
Within a Sentence: I heard the rule loud and clear. / She heard her name loud and clear.
In Other Words: Got the message. / Knew what was said.
19. Not listening for real
Meaning: Pretending to listen
Within a Sentence: He nodded but wasn’t really listening. / I could tell she wasn’t listening for real.
In Other Words: Fake listening. / Not paying attention.
20. Close your ears
Meaning: Try not to hear something
Within a Sentence: I closed my ears to the scary part. / She closed her ears when they yelled.
In Other Words: Blocked the sound. / Didn’t want to hear.
21. Turn a blind ear
Meaning: Ignore what you hear
Within a Sentence: He turned a blind ear to the teacher’s warning. / She turned a blind ear to her friend’s advice.
In Other Words: Didn’t want to hear it. / Acted like nothing was said.
22. Ring a bell
Meaning: Sound familiar
Within a Sentence: His name rings a bell. / That story rings a bell, I think I heard it before.
In Other Words: Sounds familiar. / I’ve heard that before.
23. Give me a listen
Meaning: Pay attention to me
Within a Sentence: Give me a listen, this is important. / He said, “Just give me a listen before you decide.”
In Other Words: Listen to me. / Hear me out.
24. Listen up
Meaning: Pay close attention
Within a Sentence: The coach said, “Listen up, team!” / Listen up, we have a test tomorrow.
In Other Words: Focus. / Pay attention.
25. A listening ear
Meaning: Someone willing to listen
Within a Sentence: I needed a listening ear after school. / She gave me a listening ear when I was sad.
In Other Words: Someone who listens. / A kind listener.
26. Don’t hear a peep
Meaning: Complete silence
Within a Sentence: I didn’t hear a peep from the class. / She didn’t hear a peep during the movie.
In Other Words: No noise at all. / Totally quiet.
27. Eavesdrop
Meaning: Listen without permission
Within a Sentence: He eavesdropped on their talk. / I caught my sister eavesdropping on my phone call.
In Other Words: Secretly listened. / Listened when not supposed to.
28. Listen in
Meaning: Secretly listen to someone’s talk
Within a Sentence: I listened in on the teachers’ chat. / He tried to listen in during our game plan.
In Other Words: Sneaky listening. / Not part of the talk.
29. Hearing is believing
Meaning: You have to hear it to believe it
Within a Sentence: The story was so strange, hearing was believing. / Her singing was so good, hearing was believing.
In Other Words: You won’t believe it until you hear it. / It’s amazing.
30. Echo in your ears
Meaning: Words stay in your head
Within a Sentence: Her kind words echoed in my ears. / The warning echoed in my ears all day.
In Other Words: Still thinking about it. / Can’t forget what was heard.
31. Keep your ears open
Meaning: Be alert and listening
Within a Sentence: Keep your ears open for your name. / I kept my ears open for the bus.
In Other Words: Be ready to hear. / Stay alert.
32. Plug your ears
Meaning: Cover your ears to block sound
Within a Sentence: I plugged my ears during the loud fireworks. / She plugged her ears at the concert.
In Other Words: Blocked noise. / Didn’t want to hear it.
33. Hear someone out
Meaning: Let someone speak fully
Within a Sentence: Hear me out before you say no. / The teacher heard the student out.
In Other Words: Let them talk. / Listen until the end.
34. Listening like a hawk
Meaning: Listening very closely
Within a Sentence: He was listening like a hawk for the answer. / She listened like a hawk in class.
In Other Words: Very focused. / Paying sharp attention.
35. Can’t hear yourself think
Meaning: It’s too noisy
Within a Sentence: It was so loud, I couldn’t hear myself think. / She said she couldn’t hear herself think with all the yelling.
In Other Words: Too much noise. / Too loud to focus.
36. Tune someone out
Meaning: Ignore what someone is saying
Within a Sentence: I tuned him out during the long story. / She tuned out the noisy kids.
In Other Words: Stopped listening. / Blocked it out.
37. Hear a pin drop
Meaning: Very quiet
Within a Sentence: The room was so silent, you could hear a pin drop. / After the news, we could hear a pin drop.
In Other Words: Super quiet. / No sound at all.
38. Say it loud and clear
Meaning: Speak so everyone can hear
Within a Sentence: Say your answer loud and clear. / The coach said it loud and clear.
In Other Words: Speak clearly. / Easy to hear.
39. Give a listen
Meaning: Try listening
Within a Sentence: Give a listen to this song. / I gave a listen to her story.
In Other Words: Listen for a bit. / Try hearing it.
40. Listening behind the door
Meaning: Secretly listening
Within a Sentence: I caught him listening behind the door. / She was listening behind the door to our talk.
In Other Words: Sneaky listening. / Spying.
41. Keep it down
Meaning: Be quiet
Within a Sentence: Please keep it down, I’m reading. / The librarian said to keep it down.
In Other Words: Be quieter. / Lower the noise.
42. Say it again
Meaning: Ask someone to repeat
Within a Sentence: I didn’t hear you say it again. / Can you say it again, please?
In Other Words: Repeat it. / I missed it.
43. Speak up
Meaning: Talk louder
Within a Sentence: I can’t hear you speak up! / She asked him to speak up in class.
In Other Words: Louder, please. / Raise your voice.
44. Heard it all before
Meaning: Someone has said the same thing many times
Within a Sentence: I’ve heard it all before do your homework. / He rolled his eyes and said, “Heard it all before.”
In Other Words: Same old talk. / Nothing new.
45. On deaf ears
Meaning: Not noticed or ignored
Within a Sentence: Her reminder fell on deaf ears again. / The warning went on deaf ears.
In Other Words: No one cared. / No one listened.
46. Speak into someone’s ear
Meaning: Whisper
Within a Sentence: She spoke into my ear at lunch. / He whispered into his friend’s ear.
In Other Words: Talked softly. / Whispered.
47. Heed the warning
Meaning: Listen to and follow advice
Within a Sentence: He didn’t heed the warning and got in trouble. / I always heed my teacher’s warnings.
In Other Words: Take advice. / Follow the warning.
48. Took it to heart
Meaning: Listened and cared a lot
Within a Sentence: She took her coach’s words to heart. / I took the advice to heart and studied hard.
In Other Words: Really listened. / Took it seriously.
49. On speaker
Meaning: Everyone can hear the talk
Within a Sentence: You’re on speaker, so be careful. / Mom put me on speaker during the call.
In Other Words: Everyone’s listening. / Public talking.
50. Ears like a bat
Meaning: Very good hearing
Within a Sentence: He has ears like a bat he hears everything. / She heard me whisper ears like a bat!
In Other Words: Can hear very well. / Super hearing.
51. Said nothing
Meaning: Did not respond
Within a Sentence: I asked, but she said nothing. / He said nothing when I asked him.
In Other Words: No answer. / Stayed quiet.
52. Listen and learn
Meaning: Pay attention to gain knowledge
Within a Sentence: Listen and learn, this is important. / He told us to listen and learn before we start.
In Other Words: Learn by hearing. / Pay close attention.
53. Hear me out
Meaning: Listen before judging
Within a Sentence: Please hear me out, it’s not what it seems. / She asked to be heard out before we answered.
In Other Words: Wait and listen. / Don’t stop me yet.
54. Take it in
Meaning: Absorb what you hear
Within a Sentence: I needed a moment to take it all in. / She slowly took in the teacher’s words.
In Other Words: Think about it. / Understand it.
55. Had enough of hearing it
Meaning: Tired of listening to the same thing
Within a Sentence: I’ve had enough of hearing the same excuse. / He had enough of hearing that song.
In Other Words: Sick of it. / Don’t want to hear anymore.
56. Listen to reason
Meaning: Be sensible and accept advice
Within a Sentence: Please listen to reason and wear your coat. / He wouldn’t listen to reason.
In Other Words: Be smart. / Take good advice.
57. Hear a thing
Meaning: Didn’t hear anything
Within a Sentence: I didn’t hear a thing last night. / She said she didn’t hear a thing in class.
In Other Words: Heard nothing. / No sound at all.
58. Earful
Meaning: A lot of information or a long speech
Within a Sentence: I got an earful from Dad after bedtime. / She gave me an earful about chores.
In Other Words: A long talk. / A lot of words.
59. Had ears wide open
Meaning: Was very alert
Within a Sentence: He had his ears wide open during the test. / I had ears wide open for the music.
In Other Words: Fully listening. / Paying full attention.
60. Hear it straight
Meaning: Get honest or direct information
Within a Sentence: I wanted to hear it straight from her. / He told me straight what happened.
In Other Words: Told the truth. / Got the real story.
Idioms About Listening – True/False Quiz
- “All ears” means you don’t want to listen.
True / False - If someone says “It went in one ear and out the other,” they remembered it well.
True / False - “Lend an ear” means to offer to listen.
True / False - If someone “turned a deaf ear,” they ignored what was said.
True / False - “Music to my ears” means something was loud and annoying.
True / False - “Play it by ear” means to follow a strict plan.
True / False - “Eavesdrop” means to listen without being noticed.
True / False - If your words “fell on deaf ears,” people listened carefully.
True / False - “Keep your ears open” means to listen for something.
True / False - “Can’t hear yourself think” means the place is very quiet.
True / False - “Heard it through the grapevine” means you heard it directly from the person.
True / False - “Tune someone out” means you are listening closely.
True / False - “Say it loud and clear” means to speak softly and quietly.
True / False - If someone says “I hear you,” it can mean they understand you.
True / False - “Give a listen” means to refuse to hear something.
True / False
Answer Key
- False
- False
- True
- True
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
- False
- False
- False
- False
- True
- False
Scoring Guide
- 15 Correct Answers: Idioms Master!
- 10–14 Correct Answers: You really get Idioms, nice work!
- 6–9 Correct Answers: You’re learning, keep going!
- 0–5 Correct Answers: Let’s learn about Idioms together!
Conclusion
Idioms about listening help us describe how people hear, understand, or sometimes ignore what’s said. These expressions make talking about listening more fun and more clear. You might hear them in school, at home, or on TV.
Now that you know what these idioms mean, try using them when you talk or write. Listening is a big part of learning and being a good friend. The more you practice, the better you’ll understand how others feel when they talk and how to respond kindly.
