flapping ears

Meanings

1. 1phraseplural

   Ears that move up and down or swing loosely, especially the long ears of some animals.

   Grammar: Plural only: you talk about a dog's flapping ears, not 'a flapping ear' unless just one ear moves.

   Patterns

   • something with flapping ears
   • a dog's flapping ears
   • flapping ears of a hound

   The puppy ran toward us, its flapping ears bouncing with every step.

   You could hear the elephant's flapping ears before you saw it through the trees.

   She drew a cartoon rabbit with big flapping ears and a tiny nose.

2. 2phraseplural

   Ears that move about noisily or noticeably, often used of a person or animal shaking its head.

   Grammar: Used after a noun or with a possessive: his flapping ears, the horse's flapping ears.

   Patterns

   • someone's flapping ears
   • shake something with flapping ears

   The horse shook its head, its flapping ears warning us to step back.

   He turned quickly, his flapping ears red from the cold.

3. 3phrasepluralinformaldisapprovingfigurative

   Used figuratively for someone who seems to hear everything and cannot keep information private.

   Grammar: Informal and slightly disapproving; usually in phrases like 'with flapping ears' or 'flapping ears everywhere.'

   Patterns

   • flapping ears everywhere
   • with flapping ears around

   Be careful what you say here, there are flapping ears everywhere.

   She told the secret in a room full of flapping ears.

Common combinations

long flapping ears

The goat has long flapping ears that hang past its chin.

big flapping ears

He wore a hat over his big flapping ears.

flapping ears and a wagging tail

The old dog greeted us with flapping ears and a wagging tail.

shake its flapping ears

The elephant shook its flapping ears to cool down.

a dog with flapping ears

A dog with flapping ears ran across the field.

Synonyms and how they differ

floppy ears

Describes ears that hang down softly and stay still; 'flapping ears' stresses movement.

droopy ears

Suggests ears that hang low and look sad or tired, not ears that swing about.

pendulous ears

A formal, technical word for hanging ears, used mainly in descriptions of animals.

Opposites

Word family

flap verb

To move up and down or from side to side quickly.

flapping adjective

Moving up and down or swinging loosely.

flappy adjective

Loose and tending to move about, used of clothing or ears.

Commonly confused: flapping ears or flapping? flapping ears or floppy ears?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “flapping ears”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

Explore more words