MEANING
To decide what to do as events unfold instead of following a fixed plan.
Use it for
deciding as a situation develops; adapting without a fixed plan; waiting to see what happens before acting; responding flexibly to changing circumstancesDistinguishes flexible, situation-led decisions from following an advance plan. Writing functions: Adaptation without a plan. Semantic categories (by meaning): Decision-making; Flexibility. Contexts: General conversation; Creative prose.
Words that belong together
- let's play it by ear
- have to play it by ear
On the page
We have not fixed a route; we will play it by ear once we see the weather.
Rather than script every answer, the mediator decided to play it by ear.
Word forms
- Base
- play it by ear
Usage notes
Inflect play: plays it by ear; played it by ear; playing it by ear. Keep it within the idiom. Register: neutral. Commonness: common (qualitative editorial estimate, informed by dictionaries/corpus).
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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