Meanings
present singular third person turns a deaf ear · participle present turning a deaf ear · participle past turned a deaf ear · past turned a deaf ear
- figurativelyTo refuse to listen to.
They turned a deaf ear to her entreaties.
1 more example
This really confirms that Sacramentans turn a deaf ear to efforts to legislate bigotry and homophobia. Sacramento ought to take a lot of pride in looking at their community as one that tolerates diversity.
1986 December 14, Jeffrey Ruda, quoting Ron Gray, “Sacramento Holds On To Lesbian/Gay Rights”, in Gay Community News, volume 14, number 22, page 2
Translations
Arabic صَمَّ الأُذُنَ عَنْ
- صَمَّ الأُذُنَ عَنْ (ṣamma l-ʔuḏuna ʕan)to refuse to listen or hear something
Chinese Mandarin 充耳不聞 /充耳不闻
- 充耳不聞 /充耳不闻 (chōng'ěrbùwén)to refuse to listen or hear something
Finnish kaikua kuuroille korville
- kaikua kuuroille korvilleto refuse to listen or hear something
French faire la sourde oreille
- faire la sourde oreilleto refuse to listen or hear something
German (gegenüber etwas) sich taub stellen
- (gegenüber etwas) sich taub stellento refuse to listen or hear something
Hungarian a füle botját sem mozdítja
- a füle botját sem mozdítjato refuse to listen or hear something
Icelandic láta sem vind um eyru þjóta, láta eins og vind um eyru þjóta
- láta sem vind um eyru þjótato refuse to listen or hear something
- láta eins og vind um eyru þjótato refuse to listen or hear something
- daufheyrast viðto refuse to listen or hear something
- skella skolleyrum viðto refuse to listen or hear something
Italian fare orecchi da mercante
- fare orecchi da mercanteto refuse to listen or hear something
Japanese 聞く耳を持たぬ
- 聞く耳を持たぬ (kiku mimi o motanu)to refuse to listen or hear something
Māori tetērongo, whakatuturi
- tetērongoto refuse to listen or hear something
- whakatuturito refuse to listen or hear something
- whātuturito refuse to listen or hear something
Norwegian Bokmål vende det døve øret til
- vende det døve øret tilto refuse to listen or hear something
Polish puszczać mimo uszu, puścić mimo uszu
- puszczać mimo uszuto refuse to listen or hear something
- puścić mimo uszuto refuse to listen or hear something
Portuguese fazer ouvidos moucos, fazer ouvidos de mercador
- fazer ouvidos moucosto refuse to listen or hear something
- fazer ouvidos de mercadorto refuse to listen or hear something
Russian пропуска́ть ми́мо уше́й
- пропуска́ть ми́мо уше́й (propuskátʹ mímo ušéj)to refuse to listen or hear something
Spanish hacerse el sordo, hacer oídos sordos
- hacerse el sordoto refuse to listen or hear something
- hacer oídos sordosto refuse to listen or hear something
Swedish slå dövörat till
- slå dövörat tillto refuse to listen or hear something
Cite this entry
turn a deaf ear. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20a%20deaf%20ear
“turn a deaf ear.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20a%20deaf%20ear. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “turn a deaf ear,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/turn%20a%20deaf%20ear.
Source: turn a deaf ear on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.