airplane ears

noun

The folded ears of an animal (most often a cat) when they are irritated or angry.

“You can tell Mittens hates Fido from her airplane ears whenever she sees him.”

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Meanings

nounairplane ears pl (plural only)
  1. colloquialpluralplural onlyThe folded ears of an animal (most often a cat) when they are irritated or angry.

    You can tell Mittens hates Fido from her airplane ears whenever she sees him.

    1 more example

    When cats are scared, they will often lift their airplane ears in order to better detect and listen for any potential threats even if there isn’t anything visibly threatening nearby.

    2024 June 20, Christian Adams with Dr. Marta Vidal-Abarca, “Cat Airplane Ears: 4 Vet-Verified Reasons Why Cats Do This, Facts & FAQ”, in Catster, Pangolia Pte. Ltd, archived from the original on 25 Jun 2024

Origin

From the shape of a cat's ears resembling the wings of an airplane.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese 飛機耳 /飞机耳
  • 飛機耳 /飞机耳 (fēijī'ěr)cat's folded ears
Japanese イカ耳
  • イカ耳cat's folded ears
Thai หูบิน
  • หูบินcat's folded ears
Cite this entry
APA

airplane ears. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/airplane%20ears

MLA

“airplane ears.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/airplane%20ears. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “airplane ears,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/airplane%20ears.

Source: airplane ears on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.