walls have ears

proverb

There is always a risk of being overheard, so one should be careful about what one says.

Similar
pitchers have ears
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Meanings

proverb
  1. There is always a risk of being overheard, so one should be careful about what one says.

    "But it is well to remember that walls have ears, and therefore to whisper."

    1915, William MacLeod Raine, chapter 20, in Steve Yeager
    1 more example

    “We're talking about everything you can't discuss in Damascus, because there the walls have ears,” Mr. Taieb said.

    2015 July 15, Thanassis Cambanis, “A Syrian Parody Features the Civil War, and Is Stalked by It”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 14 Apr 2020, retrieved 27 Sep 2017

    Synonyms: pitchers have ears

Synonyms & antonyms

proverbThere is always a risk of being overheard, so one should be careful about what one says.

Similar
pitchers have ears
Also see
pitchers have ears

Translations

Arabic اَلْجِدْرَانُ لَهَا آذَانٌ, لِلْحِيطَانِ آذَانٌ
  • اَلْجِدْرَانُ لَهَا آذَانٌ (al-jidrānu lahā ʔāḏānun)be careful about what you say
  • لِلْحِيطَانِ آذَانٌ (li-l-ḥīṭāni ʔāḏānun)be careful about what you say
Bengali দেয়ালের কান আছে
  • দেয়ালের কান আছে (deẏaler kan ache)be careful about what you say
Chinese Mandarin 隔牆有耳 /隔墙有耳
  • 隔牆有耳 /隔墙有耳 (géqiáng yǒu ěr)be careful about what you say
Czech stěny mají uši
  • stěny mají ušibe careful about what you say
Danish væggene har ører
  • væggene har ørerbe careful about what you say
Dutch de muren hebben oren
  • de muren hebben orenbe careful about what you say
Esperanto la muroj havas orelojn
  • la muroj havas orelojnbe careful about what you say
Finnish seinilläkin on korvat
  • seinilläkin on korvatbe careful about what you say
French les murs ont des oreilles
  • les murs ont des oreillesbe careful about what you say
German die Wände haben Ohren
  • die Wände haben Ohrenbe careful about what you say
Greek και οι τοίχοι έχουν αυτιά
  • και οι τοίχοι έχουν αυτιά (kai oi toíchoi échoun aftiá)be careful about what you say
Hindi दीवारों के भी कान होते हैं
  • दीवारों के भी कान होते हैं (dīvārõ ke bhī kān hote ha͠i)be careful about what you say
Hungarian a falnak is füle van
  • a falnak is füle vanbe careful about what you say
Irish bíonn cluasa ar na claíocha, bíonn cluasa ar an gcoill
  • bíonn cluasa ar na claíochabe careful about what you say
  • bíonn cluasa ar an gcoillbe careful about what you say
Italian i muri hanno le orecchie
  • i muri hanno le orecchiebe careful about what you say
Japanese 壁に耳あり、 障子に目あり, 壁に耳あり
  • 壁に耳あり、 障子に目ありbe careful about what you say
  • 壁に耳あり (kabe ni mimi ari)be careful about what you say
Korean 낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다, 밤말은 쥐가 듣고 낮말은 새가 듣는다
  • 낮말은 새가 듣고 밤말은 쥐가 듣는다 (nanmareun saega deutgo bammareun jwiga deunneunda)be careful about what you say
  • 밤말은 쥐가 듣고 낮말은 새가 듣는다 (bammareun jwiga deutgo nanmareun saega deunneunda)be careful about what you say
Latin parietes habent aures
  • parietes habent auresbe careful about what you say
Latvian sienām ir ausis
  • sienām ir ausisbe careful about what you say
Lithuanian ir sienos girdi, ir sienos turi ausis
  • ir sienos girdibe careful about what you say
  • ir sienos turi ausisbe careful about what you say
Polish ściany mają uszy
  • ściany mają uszybe careful about what you say
Portuguese as paredes têm ouvidos
  • as paredes têm ouvidosbe careful about what you say
Romanian pereții au urechi
  • pereții au urechibe careful about what you say
Russian и у стен есть у́ши
  • и у стен есть у́ши (i u sten jestʹ úši)be careful about what you say
Scottish Gaelic cluasan anns gach ceàrn
  • cluasan anns gach ceàrnbe careful about what you say
Slovak aj steny majú uši
  • aj steny majú ušibe careful about what you say
Spanish las paredes oyen
  • las paredes oyenbe careful about what you say
Swedish väggarna har öron
  • väggarna har öronbe careful about what you say
Tagalog may tainga ang lupa, may pakpak ang balita
  • may tainga ang lupa, may pakpak ang balitabe careful about what you say
Thai กำแพงมีหู ประตูมีช่อง, กำแพงมีหู ประตูมีตา
  • กำแพงมีหู ประตูมีช่องbe careful about what you say
  • กำแพงมีหู ประตูมีตาbe careful about what you say
Turkish yerin kulağı vardır
  • yerin kulağı vardırbe careful about what you say
Ukrainian і у стін є ву́ха, і сті́ни ма́ють ву́ха
  • і у стін є ву́ха (i u stin je vúxa)be careful about what you say
  • і сті́ни ма́ють ву́ха (i stíny májutʹ vúxa)be careful about what you say
Vietnamese tai vách mạch dừng
  • tai vách mạch dừngbe careful about what you say
Cite this entry
APA

walls have ears. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/walls%20have%20ears

MLA

“walls have ears.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/walls%20have%20ears. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “walls have ears,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/walls%20have%20ears.

Source: walls have ears on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.