by ear
Preserved but no longer current.
Meaning · English
To sing or play by ear rreans to sing or play without reading the musical notes, depending on the ear only.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “by ear” mean?
To sing or play by ear rreans to sing or play without reading the musical notes, depending on the ear only.
Is “by ear” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.