Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

by the ears

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.36 in modern English

Syllables: by the ears
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

1

Syllables

8

Unique Chars

Meaning

prep_phrase

In a state of conflict; fighting, scuffling.

Example Sentences

"they heard Cursell confesse what had formerly passed; and that how in the dividing that they had stolne from him, they fell by the ears amongst themselves, that were actors in it […]"
"For, if (ſaid he) you throw among five Yahoos as much Food as would be ſufficient for fifty, they will, inſtead of eating peaceably, fall together by the ears, each ſingle one impatient to have all to itſelf; […]"
"In spite of the recent falls in the value of the Nasdaq index and the value of Amazon stock, the new technology had the city by the ears: the talk was still of start-ups, IPOs, interactivity, the unimaginable future that had just begun to begin."

Phrases

set by the ears have by the ears

Frequently Paired Words

have by the ears

Questions

What does by the ears mean?: In a state of conflict; fighting, scuffling.

How to pronounce by the ears

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “by the ears”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “by the ears”.
Repeat and practice — Say “by the ears” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.