strain one's ears

idiom

: to try very hard to hear
I strained my ears to hear what they were whispering.

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strainometer
strain one's ears
strain one's eyes
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“Strain one's ears.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/strain%20one%27s%20ears. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.

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