ear to the ground

idiom

The idiom "ear to the ground" comes from the practice of listening for distant sounds by placing one's ear close to the ground. It signifies being attentive and well-informed about current events and trends.

🇺🇸 US Voice:

🇬🇧 UK Voice:

Definition

B2General

(informal)To stay informed and aware of the latest trends, events, or information.

Example

She always has her ear to the ground, so she knows all the latest gossip.
You need to keep an ear to the ground to succeed in this fast-paced industry.

B2Community

(informal)To be aware of the general mood or opinions within a group or community.

Example

Politicians need to have their ear to the ground to understand their constituents' concerns.
He has his ear to the ground and knows what the community thinks about the new policy.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "ear to the ground":

all ears on the ground feet on the ground go to ground hear the grass grow listen in by ear ground game hear things keep an eye open hear of bend someone's ear keep one's head down in the ear