ear-ring

A woman puts on a silver ear-ring while looking in a mirror.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A piece of jewelry worn on the ear: An "ear-ring" is an ornament or decorative item designed to be attached to the earlobe or other part of the ear, typically through a piercing or a clip.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • She wore a beautiful gold ear-ring to the party. (A decorative jewelry piece on the ear.)
  • He lost one ear-ring while swimming in the ocean. (A single ornament for the ear.)

Advanced Usage

• "ear-ring" as a collective term: In some contexts, "ear-ring" can refer to a pair of such ornaments, though "earrings" (plural) is more common.

  • The ear-ring set was displayed in a velvet box. (A matching pair of ear ornaments.)

• "clip-on ear-ring": An ear-ring that attaches to the earlobe without requiring a piercing.

  • She prefers clip-on ear-rings because she doesn't have pierced ears. (A non-piercing ear ornament.)

Variants and Related Words

• Earring (n): A common spelling variant of "ear-ring," often without the hyphen.

  • She bought a pair of silver earrings. (Same meaning as "ear-ring.")

• Earlobe (n): The soft, fleshy lower part of the ear, where ear-rings are often worn.

  • Her earlobe was pierced to hold the ear-ring. (The part of the ear for attachment.)

Synonyms

• Ornament: An object worn for decoration.
• Jewelry: Decorative items worn for personal adornment, including ear-rings.
• Hoop: A specific type of ear-ring shaped like a circle or ring.

Related Idioms

• "To have an ear-ring": (informal) To wear a decorative ear ornament, often associated with fashion or cultural identity.

  • In many cultures, having an ear-ring is a sign of status or tradition. (Wearing a decorative ear piece.)

• "To pull someone's ear-ring": (figurative, rare) To scold or reprimand someone, metaphorically pulling their ear ornament.

  • The teacher pulled his ear-ring for not doing his homework. (Figurative scolding, though literal pulling is uncommon.)