wing
Pluralwings
Pluralwings
- 1A body part on a bird, bat, or insect that lets it fly.
Like the flat sides of a paper airplane that help it stay up.
The bird folded its wing tightly against its body.
A butterfly's wings are covered in tiny colored scales.
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- 2The flat part of an aircraft that lifts it into the air.
Like a kite's flat surface that the rushing air pushes upward.
The plane's wing dipped sharply as it banked into the turn.
Ice building up on the wings can be very dangerous.
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- 3A group inside a political party or movement whose members share certain views.
Like one side of a group that pulls in its own direction.
The party's left wing pushed hard for higher taxes.
A more moderate wing disagreed with the new plan.
UsageSay the left wing or the right wing of a party.
- 4A part of a large building that sticks out from the main part, like a section of a hospital or prison.
Like a smaller room joined onto the side of a big house.
The hospital's new wing has fifty extra beds.
They added a wing to the school just for art classes.
UsageSay the east wing of a building.
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- 5The left or right side of a sports field, or a player who plays there.
Like standing near the edge of the field instead of in the middle.
She plays on the wing for her soccer team.
The coach moved him to the wing for the second half.
UsageSay she plays on the wing. The player is a winger.
Similarflank
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- 6To do something without planning or practice beforehand.
Like cooking a meal without a recipe and hoping it turns out fine.
I forgot my notes, so I had to wing the whole speech.
He winged his answer and hoped for the best.
UsagePeople often say wing it, meaning do it with no plan.
- 7A large unit in an air force, made up of several squadrons or groups of squadrons.
Like a big team made up of several smaller teams.
The bomber wing sent three groups to the Pacific.
A single wing can include thousands of people, from pilots to mechanics.
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- 8The act of moving through the air by flying.
Like the way a kite lifts and travels once it is up in the air.
The pigeons took wing the moment the door opened.
We watched the swans on the wing above the water.
UsageSay birds take wing when they fly up.
Similarflight
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Less common meanings
- 9The hidden area at the side of a stage, out of the audience's view.
The actors waited in the wings for their cue.
This old theater has very little wing space, so the sets have to be small.
UsageActors wait in the wings.
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- 10A line of eyeliner that sweeps out and up to a point at the eye's corner.
Like a little tail of ink reaching out from the eye.
She drew a sharp wing at the corner of each eye.
His wing came out uneven, so he wiped it off and started again.
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- 11A badge given to a pilot or aircrew member who has fully qualified.
Like a badge that shows you passed a big test, but for flying.
He earned his wings after months of hard training.
After her final test flight, she proudly pinned on her wings.
UsageSay a pilot earned her wings.
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- 12
- 13To wound someone or something only slightly, often by shooting an arm or wing.
Like a scratch that hurts but doesn't really stop you.
The shot only winged the deer, and it bounded away.
Be careful not to wing your partner during the hunt.
UsageUse in before the body part: “She was winged in the arm.”
- 14
- 15To fly, or to fly across or through a place.
Like a bird gliding from one tree to another.
The geese wing south every fall.
A small plane winged over the quiet valley.
UsageSay birds wing south. The past is winged.
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- 16The body panel of a car that covers a wheel, especially a front wheel.
Like the curved cover over a bicycle wheel, but on a car.
He scraped the front wing against the gatepost in the car park.
A rusty wing spoiled the look of the old saloon.
UsageIn American English, this is a fender.
- 17
- 18A person's arm, used in casual slang.
Like a playful nickname for your arm.
He hurt his wing throwing the ball too hard.
Put some ice on that wing before it swells up.
UsageOften used in sports for a throwing arm.
Similararm
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- 19A flat platform on each side of a ship's bridge where the crew can stand and look out.
Like a small platform sticking out from each side of the ship's control room.
The officer walked onto the wing to see the dock below.
The captain stepped out onto the bridge wing to watch the tugboats.
UsageSay bridge wing.
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- 20A wide, flat fin on a fish such as a ray or flying fish, used like a wing.
Like the wide, flat flippers a ray uses to push through the water.
The ray flapped its wing and glided through the water.
A skate's wing is the part most people eat.
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- 21To add an extra section onto a building.
- 22A thin, flat part that sticks out from a seed, fruit, or stem, like a small flap.
- 23A side shoot or branch that grows up beside another on a tree or plant.
- 24One of the two side petals on a pea-type flower.
- 25A simple shelter with a cloth roof on a frame, like a tent with no walls.
- 26In some tiny sea snails, a flap of the foot used for swimming.
- 27Something that helps you fly or move fast.
- 28In old forts, one of the long side walls of an outer defense.
- 29A blade, fan or sail that pushes air or is pushed by the wind.
- 30A small decoration worn on the shoulder.
- 31The side parts inside a ship, or the ends of a line of ships.
- 32A small v-shaped mark put over some letters.
ˇ wing, wedge, hǎcek, inverted circumflex (Karel Čapek)
1985, David Grambs, Literary Companion Dictionary - 33In the enneagram, either of the two types right next to your main type, which shapes it.
- 34To put wings on something.
Showing meanings only.
Practice
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Origin
It comes from Old Norse "vængr," meaning a bird's wing. It may be related to the word "wind."
Checked 1 Nov 2026 · 1 fact
- Wing comes from Old Norse vængr, which meant a bird's wing. en.wiktionary.org