earring
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of earring
before 1000; Middle English erering, Old English ēarhring. See ear 1, ring 1
Explanation
An earring is jewelry you wear on your ear. Your favorite earrings might be tiny white pearls, or they might be long feathers that dangle to your shoulders. An earring is any kind of ring, stud, hoop, or dangling decoration that you clip on your earlobe or hook through a hole pierced in your ear. Many people wear two matching earrings, one in each lobe, although others have just one pierced ear and wear a single earring — and some have multiple piercings in which they can wear a variety of earrings. In the 18th century, an earring that dangled was called an ear-drop.
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.
But before the earring could be examined, it was misplaced, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Aizenberg’s lab is developing an e-nose device that livestock would wear as an earring, allowing unconstrained real-time data collection.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026
Former England midfielder Fara Williams says West Ham's Estelle Cascarino made a "schoolgirl error" when she was denied the chance to make her debut because of an earring.
From BBC • Jan. 12, 2026
The small canvas shows a young woman set on a dark background, her head turned towards the viewer and a pearl earring glinting from beneath her blue and cream turban.
From Barron's • Jan. 8, 2026
He lay down on his side on the new dollar bill, rested his head on the earring, and pulled the old dollar up over him.
From "The Cricket in Times Square" by George Selden
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
