play it by ear
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To improvise; to decide how to act as the situation develops.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
tự phát; quyết định hành động khi tình hình phát triển
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Register: neutral
Sources & notes
Curated everyday-idiom list, site editorial 2026-07-30.
Common questions
What does “play it by ear” mean?
To improvise; to decide how to act as the situation develops.
Is “play it by ear” formal or informal?
play it by ear is generally neutral.