prick up one's ears

verb

To listen attentively.

Similar
perk up one's earspin one's ears back
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbprick up one's ears (third-person singular simple present pricks up one's ears, present participle pricking up one's ears, simple past and past participle pricked up one's ears)

present singular third person pricks up one's ears · participle present pricking up one's ears · participle past pricked up one's ears · past pricked up one's ears · alternative prick one's ears

  1. To listen attentively.

    'I doubt if you will ever have met "Rainproof" Nogg,' wrote one about this time—a shrewd old lady whose Dutch-sounding name caused pushful young hostesses to prick up their ears even when it reached them at third hand.

    1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados Mysteries

    Synonyms: perk up one's ears, pin one's ears back

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo listen attentively.

Similar
perk up one's earspin one's ears back
Also see
perk up one's earspin one's ears backsit up and take notice

Translations

Dutch zijn oren spitsen
  • zijn oren spitsento listen attentively
Finnish höristää korviaan
  • höristää korviaanto listen attentively
French dresser l'oreille, tendre l'oreille
  • dresser l'oreilleto listen attentively
  • tendre l'oreilleto listen attentively
German die Ohren spitzen
  • die Ohren spitzento listen attentively
Hungarian hegyezi a fülét, fülel
  • hegyezi a fülétto listen attentively
  • fülelto listen attentively
  • figyelto listen attentively
Italian tendere l'orecchio
  • tendere l'orecchioto listen attentively
Polish nadstawiać ucha, nadstawić ucha
  • nadstawiać uchato listen attentively
  • nadstawić uchato listen attentively
Russian навостри́ть у́ши
  • навостри́ть у́ши (navostrítʹ úši)to listen attentively
Spanish pararse las orejas, ponerse las orejas de punta
  • pararse las orejasto listen attentively
  • ponerse las orejas de puntato listen attentively
Turkish kulak kabartmak, kulak kesilmek
  • kulak kabartmakto listen attentively
  • kulak kesilmekto listen attentively
  • kulaklarını dikmekto listen attentively
  • kulak vermekto listen attentively
Ukrainian насторожити вуха, нагострити вуха
  • насторожити вуха (nastorožýty vúxa)to listen attentively
  • нагострити вуха (nahostrýty vúxa)to listen attentively
Cite this entry
APA

prick up one's ears. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prick%20up%20one's%20ears

MLA

“prick up one's ears.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prick%20up%20one's%20ears. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “prick up one's ears,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/prick%20up%20one's%20ears.

Source: prick up one's ears on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.