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Synonyms

play it by ear

Cultural  

  1. To improvise: “Rather than plan an elaborate strategy, Andy decided to play it by ear.” Music played by ear does not follow written notes.

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.

She said she will "play it by ear" when it comes to lecturing in the coming years.

From BBC • Jan. 2, 2026

“As long as he’s in relatively good shape, you work him in and get him playing, and you play it by ear and eyes and see where he is after that.”

From Washington Times • Sep. 1, 2023

“We’ll just play it by ear every day,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • May 30, 2023

Right now, it’s so new; I think it makes sense to play it by ear and be dynamic.

From The Verge • Aug. 2, 2022

Nodding vaguely, he said, “Oh, well, sure, of course. We’ll just play it by ear then, pal, how’s that sound?”

From "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children" by Ransom Riggs

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.