in one ear and out the other

Idioms

Quickly forgotten, as in Their advice to her just went in one ear and out the other. This expression, a proverb in John Heywood's 1546 collection, conjures up a graphic image of sound traveling through one's head. [Late 1300s]

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.

Shreya says she "refuses to process" the comparisons, saying they go "in one ear and out the other".

From BBC • Feb. 23, 2024

Not looking, on the computers, going in one ear and out the other or talking to each other or multitasking or whatever.

From Salon • Jul. 22, 2023

I’ve tried the logical conversations, which go in one ear and out the other, and we’re right back at asking 14 times a day.

From Slate • Jan. 6, 2021

“Most of the stuff he says is in one ear and out the other anyway,” said Morris, 42, who didn’t vote for Trump or Hillary Clinton.

From Washington Post • May 5, 2018

And it wasn’t that the important stuff Mrs. Maxy had to say went in one ear and out the other.

From "Joey Pigza Swallowed the Key" by Jack Gantos

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023