Chunk: lend an ear
Meaning & Usage
Lend an ear means to listen patiently, sympathetically, or attentively to someone's concerns, grievances, or proposals. It is very frequently modified by qualitative adjectives (most notably lend a sympathetic ear or lend a patient ear). Grounded in the outward directional vector of lend, it conceptualizes attentive listening as a supportive resource temporarily granted to an interlocutor.
🧲 Common Collocates
- Frequent Collocations: lend a sympathetic ear, lend a patient ear, lend an attentive ear, lend an ear to someone's concerns / problems / grievances.
- Syntactic Patterns: lend an ear to [person/issue], lend [person] an ear, always ready to lend an ear.
- Characteristic Contexts: Executive mentorship, pastoral care, interpersonal conflict resolution, workplace burnout, supportive counseling.
💬 Contextual Examples
- She was always willing to lend a sympathetic ear when junior colleagues faced workplace stress.
- An effective leader does not merely issue directives; they know when to lend an ear to grassroots team feedback.
- He valued having a discreet senior partner who would lend an ear without immediately imposing unsolicited solutions.
🎴 Interactive Web Practice
Practice 1: Whenever department members felt overwhelmed by shifting priorities, the ombudsman was there to lend a sympathetic ______.
Answer:
ear Practice 2: Senior management must learn to lend an ear ______ the concerns voiced by frontline operational staff.
Answer:
to Practice 3: A supportive mentor offers strategic guidance while maintaining the patience to ______ an attentive ear during times of crisis.
Answer:
lend 🔗 Knowledge Base Connections
- 🔑 Parent Node: Lend
- ⚖️ Related Discrimination: borrow-vs-lend