play by ear
The phrase "play by ear" originates from musical practice and has been adopted into general usage to describe improvisation in various contexts.
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Definition
B2Music
(informal)To perform music by listening and reproducing the sounds without using written notation.
Example
- She can play any song by ear after hearing it just once.
B2General
(idiomatic)To approach a situation without a fixed plan, adapting as events unfold.
Example
- Let's just play it by ear and see how things go.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "play by ear":
by earfly by the seat of one's pantsplay alongplay fast and looseplay the fieldplay onplay toplay aroundplay inplay it for all it's worthplay outfiddle aroundfeel one's way