"turn a deaf ear" meaning in English

See turn a deaf ear in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Verb

Audio: En-au-turn a deaf ear.ogg Forms: turns a deaf ear [present, singular, third-person], turning a deaf ear [participle, present], turned a deaf ear [participle, past], turned a deaf ear [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|*}} turn a deaf ear (third-person singular simple present turns a deaf ear, present participle turning a deaf ear, simple past and past participle turned a deaf ear)
  1. (figuratively) To refuse to listen to. [with to ‘someone/something’] Tags: figuratively Related terms: fall on deaf ears, preach to deaf ears, turn a blind eye Translations (to refuse to listen or hear something): 充耳不聞 (Chinese Mandarin), 充耳不闻 (chōng'ěrbùwén) (Chinese Mandarin), kaikua kuuroille korville (note: subject is the thing that is ignored or disregarded) (Finnish), faire la sourde oreille (French), facerse o xordo (Galician), (gegenüber etwas) sich taub stellen (German), a füle botját sem mozdítja (Hungarian), láta sem vind um eyru þjóta (Icelandic), láta eins og vind um eyru þjóta (Icelandic), daufheyrast við (Icelandic), skella skolleyrum við (Icelandic), fare orecchi da mercante (Italian), 聞く耳を持たぬ (kiku mimi o motanu) (alt: きくみみをもたぬ) (Japanese), tetērongo (Maori), whakatuturi (Maori), whātuturi (Maori), vende det døve øret til (Norwegian Bokmål), puszczać mimo uszu [imperfective] (Polish), puścić mimo uszu [perfective] (Polish), fazer ouvidos moucos (Portuguese), пропуска́ть ми́мо уше́й (propuskátʹ mímo ušéj) (Russian), hacerse el sordo (Spanish), hacer oídos sordos (Spanish), slå dövörat till (Swedish)

Inflected forms

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  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "turns a deaf ear",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "turning a deaf ear",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "turned a deaf ear",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
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    },
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      "form": "turned a deaf ear",
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  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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          "text": "They turned a deaf ear to her entreaties.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1986 December 14, Jeffrey Ruda, quoting Ron Gray, “Sacramento Holds On To Lesbian/Gay Rights”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 22, page 2:",
          "text": "This really confirms that Sacramentans turn a deaf ear to efforts to legislate bigotry and homophobia. Sacramento ought to take a lot of pride in looking at their community as one that tolerates diversity.",
          "type": "quote"
        }
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      "glosses": [
        "To refuse to listen to."
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      "id": "en-turn_a_deaf_ear-en-verb--NIr2x3J",
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        "(figuratively) To refuse to listen to. [with to ‘someone/something’]"
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "fall on deaf ears"
        },
        {
          "word": "preach to deaf ears"
        },
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          "word": "turn a blind eye"
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        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "充耳不聞"
        },
        {
          "code": "cmn",
          "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
          "roman": "chōng'ěrbùwén",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "充耳不闻"
        },
        {
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "note": "subject is the thing that is ignored or disregarded",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "kaikua kuuroille korville"
        },
        {
          "code": "fr",
          "lang": "French",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "faire la sourde oreille"
        },
        {
          "code": "gl",
          "lang": "Galician",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "facerse o xordo"
        },
        {
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "(gegenüber etwas) sich taub stellen"
        },
        {
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "a füle botját sem mozdítja"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "láta sem vind um eyru þjóta"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "láta eins og vind um eyru þjóta"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "daufheyrast við"
        },
        {
          "code": "is",
          "lang": "Icelandic",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "skella skolleyrum við"
        },
        {
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "fare orecchi da mercante"
        },
        {
          "alt": "きくみみをもたぬ",
          "code": "ja",
          "lang": "Japanese",
          "roman": "kiku mimi o motanu",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "聞く耳を持たぬ"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "tetērongo"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "whakatuturi"
        },
        {
          "code": "mi",
          "lang": "Maori",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "whātuturi"
        },
        {
          "code": "nb",
          "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "vende det døve øret til"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "puszczać mimo uszu"
        },
        {
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "puścić mimo uszu"
        },
        {
          "code": "pt",
          "lang": "Portuguese",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "fazer ouvidos moucos"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "roman": "propuskátʹ mímo ušéj",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "пропуска́ть ми́мо уше́й"
        },
        {
          "code": "ru",
          "lang": "Russian",
          "note": "пропусти́ть ми́мо уше́й (propustítʹ mímo ušéj, literally “to let go past one's ears”)",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "hacerse el sordo"
        },
        {
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "hacer oídos sordos"
        },
        {
          "code": "sv",
          "lang": "Swedish",
          "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
          "word": "slå dövörat till"
        }
      ]
    }
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  "word": "turn a deaf ear"
}
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  "forms": [
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      "form": "turns a deaf ear",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
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      "form": "turning a deaf ear",
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        "participle",
        "present"
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    {
      "form": "turned a deaf ear",
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      "form": "turned a deaf ear",
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        "past"
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  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
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    {
      "word": "fall on deaf ears"
    },
    {
      "word": "preach to deaf ears"
    },
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      "word": "turn a blind eye"
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          "text": "They turned a deaf ear to her entreaties.",
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          "ref": "1986 December 14, Jeffrey Ruda, quoting Ron Gray, “Sacramento Holds On To Lesbian/Gay Rights”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 22, page 2:",
          "text": "This really confirms that Sacramentans turn a deaf ear to efforts to legislate bigotry and homophobia. Sacramento ought to take a lot of pride in looking at their community as one that tolerates diversity.",
          "type": "quote"
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      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To refuse to listen to."
      ],
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        "(figuratively) To refuse to listen to. [with to ‘someone/something’]"
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    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "充耳不聞"
    },
    {
      "code": "cmn",
      "lang": "Chinese Mandarin",
      "roman": "chōng'ěrbùwén",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "充耳不闻"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "note": "subject is the thing that is ignored or disregarded",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "kaikua kuuroille korville"
    },
    {
      "code": "fr",
      "lang": "French",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "faire la sourde oreille"
    },
    {
      "code": "gl",
      "lang": "Galician",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "facerse o xordo"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "(gegenüber etwas) sich taub stellen"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "a füle botját sem mozdítja"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "láta sem vind um eyru þjóta"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "láta eins og vind um eyru þjóta"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "daufheyrast við"
    },
    {
      "code": "is",
      "lang": "Icelandic",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "skella skolleyrum við"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "fare orecchi da mercante"
    },
    {
      "alt": "きくみみをもたぬ",
      "code": "ja",
      "lang": "Japanese",
      "roman": "kiku mimi o motanu",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "聞く耳を持たぬ"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "tetērongo"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "whakatuturi"
    },
    {
      "code": "mi",
      "lang": "Maori",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "whātuturi"
    },
    {
      "code": "nb",
      "lang": "Norwegian Bokmål",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "vende det døve øret til"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "puszczać mimo uszu"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "puścić mimo uszu"
    },
    {
      "code": "pt",
      "lang": "Portuguese",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "fazer ouvidos moucos"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "roman": "propuskátʹ mímo ušéj",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "пропуска́ть ми́мо уше́й"
    },
    {
      "code": "ru",
      "lang": "Russian",
      "note": "пропусти́ть ми́мо уше́й (propustítʹ mímo ušéj, literally “to let go past one's ears”)",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "hacerse el sordo"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "hacer oídos sordos"
    },
    {
      "code": "sv",
      "lang": "Swedish",
      "sense": "to refuse to listen or hear something",
      "word": "slå dövörat till"
    }
  ],
  "word": "turn a deaf ear"
}

Download raw JSONL data for turn a deaf ear meaning in English (6.1kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-12-21 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-12-04 using wiktextract (d8cb2f3 and 4e554ae). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.