How to Use outer ear in a Sentence

outer ear

noun
  • Each one rests in your outer ear and has a small wing to secure its fit.
    — PC Magazine, 5 June 2025
  • Tilt your head and pull your outer ear up and back to straighten your ear canal.
    — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, 26 Sep. 2017
  • The wingtips help the top of the buds snap into the upper portion of your outer ear.
    — Jeffrey Van Camp, WIRED, 2 Nov. 2017
  • The pressure in the outer ear, which is exposed to the cabin, changes rather fast.
    — Melissa Willets, Parents, 3 Sep. 2025
  • When the water has drained out, gently dry your outer ear with a towel or blow dryer.
    — Korin Miller, SELF, 29 Jan. 2019
  • The most severe injury she’s seen from a bug was an outer ear infection.
    — Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023
  • Bleeding from the outer ear is common when the tight-fitting helmet is forced off.
    — Profootballdoc, sandiegouniontribune.com, 26 Oct. 2017
  • Others swear by acupuncture that focusses on the nerves of the outer ear.
    — Burkhard Bilger, New Yorker, 29 June 2026
  • When finished, gently dry your outer ear with a towel or handheld dryer.
    — Seattle Times Staff, The Seattle Times, 26 Sep. 2017
  • The outer ear pads have been redesigned and now combine memory foam with a top layer of seamless leather.
    — Chris Welch, The Verge, 19 July 2023
  • With right sides together, pin together an inner and outer ear.
    — Heidi Palkovic, Better Homes & Gardens, 29 Sep. 2021
  • The sleek, lightweight frame is crafted to fit securely and comfortably on the outer ear.
    — Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 6 Aug. 2025
  • The outer ear is one of the newer places clinicians are exploring as an access point to the vagus nerve.
    — Katie Palmer, STAT, 24 Apr. 2021
  • Sound waves enter your outer ear and travel to the middle portion via a narrow passageway called the ear canal.
    — Cassie Shortsleeve, SELF, 18 Aug. 2018
  • Cut all the ear shapes out, then glue the inner ear shape on top of the outer ear shape, leaving about 1 inch at the bottom unattached.
    — Annabelle Canela, Parents, 14 Mar. 2026
  • Some models put most of the electronics behind the ear, then run a wire or tube to a receiver in the ear canal or fit it into the outer ear.
    — Jon Healey, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2022
  • The vibrations from the piano were conducted to his inner ear by short-circuiting the outer ear.
    — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 7 June 2025
  • Scientists have long wondered about the evolutionary origins of outer ears, which are unique to mammals.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025
  • This bacteria is known for causing itch, red hot tub rash, and swimmer's ear, an outer ear infection that can be itchy and painful and is more common among kids.
    — Brittany Anas, House Beautiful, 16 June 2023
  • Surfer’s ear is different from the more common swimmer’s ear, which is a bacterial infection in the outer ear canal.
    — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, 16 Aug. 2019
  • Auricular muscles control the pinna or visible part of the outer ear.
    — Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Oct. 2022
  • The gills themselves—which fish use to breathe underwater—did not literally transform into outer ears.
    — Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Jan. 2025
  • These soft, putty-like silicone earplugs are easy to use — just warm them up by kneading them with your fingers and molding them around the edges of your outer ear canal to create a seal.
    — Katherine Alex Beaven, Travel + Leisure, 31 May 2023
  • Andre was born with microtia, a birth defect where the outer ear does not fully develop during pregnancy.
    — Julie Mazziotta, PEOPLE.com, 3 Aug. 2020
  • Some medical experts recommend applying ginger juice around the outer ear to relieve pain.
    — Sherri Gordon, Health, 16 Apr. 2025
  • Ear movement is controlled by the auricular muscles—three muscles that connect the outer ear (or ‘auricle’) to the skull and scalp.
    — Clarissa Brincat, Popular Science, 27 Feb. 2025
  • The risk for meningitis may be higher because the implant creates a pathway from the outer ear to the inner ear, which is normally sterile.
    — Kelly Burch Published, Verywell Health, 11 Dec. 2024
  • Tiny hair cells lined up in the outer ear leap and sway, transmitting sound’s vibrations to other hair cells in the inner ear that carry information via nerves to the brain.
    — Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 9 May 2022
  • The main one is contact—that is, how designers can ensure adequate continuous contact between an earbud and the skin of the outer ear canal.
    — IEEE Spectrum, 1 May 2019
  • The cartilaginous ridges, troughs and protuberances of the outer ear also alter sound before it is transduced into nerve signals.
    — The Economist, 16 Dec. 2020

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'outer ear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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