preach to deaf ears en · VERB
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Meanings
-
(idiomatic) To attempt to persuade a party that does not wish to listen or cannot be altered in its conviction.
Roosevelt was tired of preaching to deaf ears. He was ready to try something else.
2002, Edward M. Bennet, Separated by a Common Language: Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the Anglo-American Relations, 1933-1939, Writers Club Press, →ISBN, page 126:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| preaches to deaf ears | Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres | lexicographic | |
| preached to deaf ears | Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic | |
| preached to deaf ears | Tense=Past | lexicographic | |
| preaching to deaf ears | Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part | lexicographic |
Relateds
turn a deaf ear · preach in the desert · fall on deaf ears
Synonyms
Translations (8)
fr parler à un mur (Translations) · pl rzucić grochem o ścianę (Translations) · ja 馬の耳に念仏 (Translations) · no tale for døve ører (Translations) · pl rzucać grochem o ścianę (Translations) · cmn 對牛彈琴 /对牛弹琴 (Translations) · fi puhua seinille (Translations) · fr parler à un sourd (Translations)