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in one ear and out the other

Idioms

Quickly forgotten, as in Their advice to her just went in one ear and out the other. This expression, a proverb in John Heywood's 1546 collection, conjures up a graphic image of sound traveling through one's head. [Late 1300s]

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Not looking, on the computers, going in one ear and out the other or talking to each other or multitasking or whatever.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2023

The veteran defensive tackle insists he lets any criticism go in one ear and out the other.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 27, 2022

I’ve tried the logical conversations, which go in one ear and out the other, and we’re right back at asking 14 times a day.

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2021

“Most of the stuff he says is in one ear and out the other anyway,” said Morris, 42, who didn’t vote for Trump or Hillary Clinton.

From Washington Post • May 5, 2018

But the hard part of communication is often figuring out how to make sure a message doesn’t go in one ear and out the other.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023