play by ear
Idioms-
Play a musical instrument without the aid of written music, as in By the time she was four, she could play a dozen songs by ear . [Late 1600s]
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play it by ear . Proceed gradually, depending on the circumstances; improvise. For example, I'm not sure how much we should say about our plans, so let's play it by ear . [Mid-1900s]
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.
Goolsbee said the Fed would need to "play by ear" whether any further rate increases are needed.
From Reuters • Sep. 25, 2023
So I just taught myself more in church how to play by ear.
From Seattle Times • Jul. 2, 2023
In his teaching Tony often encourages his students to play by ear, without sheet music.
From BBC • Sep. 9, 2021
The young Joan Anderson retorted, “Well, the masters had to play by ear to come up with that stuff.”
From New York Times • Oct. 29, 2020
Could she play by ear, like he did, or did she only read notes?
From "Clayton Byrd Goes Underground" by Rita Williams-Garcia
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.
