earlobe

IPA/ˈɪələʊb/
IPA/ˈɪrləʊb/

earlobe — noun

  • earlobesingular
  • earlobesplural

1. the small soft piece of flesh that hangs from the bottom of your outer ear

1.nounB1
Definition

the small soft piece of flesh that hangs from the bottom of your outer ear

Example

Hui cleaned her pierced earlobe before putting the stud back in.

pierced earlobe in a jewellery context

Omar's earlobe swelled up after the cheap earring irritated his skin.

swelled up after irritation

Common collocations
  • pierced earlobe
  • swollen earlobe
  • torn earlobe
  • touch one's earlobe
  • earlobe piercing
Synonyms
  • lobe

    a shorter form often used in piercing or medical contexts, though it can also refer to other body parts

  • ear lobe

    a common spelling variant written as two words

  • lobule

    a more technical anatomical term for a small lobe

Usage Note

Usually appears when talking about earrings, piercings, injuries, or skin problems. It often follows a possessive determiner, as in 'her earlobe' or 'his earlobe'.

Common Mistakes

My ear hurts where the piercing goes in.
My earlobe hurts where the piercing goes in.
Use 'earlobe' when you mean the soft lower part, not the whole ear.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

earlobe names only the soft lower part of the ear, especially the part people pierce for earrings. ear is the general word for the whole hearing organ, so if a doctor says your ear hurts, the pain could be anywhere. cartilage is the firmer tissue in the upper and middle ear, not the hanging part at the bottom. Someone may clean an earlobe before changing a stud, feel pain in the ear after a loud concert, or notice that cartilage piercing takes longer to heal than an earlobe piercing. Use earlobe when the exact lower part matters.

earlobe ↗ear ↗cartilage ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • earlobe piercing
  • pierced earlobe
  • swollen earlobe
  • torn earlobe

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishFrenchGreekEnglish

Earlobe is a compound formed in English from ear and lobe. Ear comes from Old English, while lobe entered English later through French from Greek and referred to a rounded hanging part. Together, the two elements name the soft lower part of the ear.