wing

noun, often attributive

\ ˈwiŋ

plural wings

Definition of wing

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : one of the movable feathered or membranous paired appendages by means of which a bird, bat, or insect is able to fly also : such an appendage (as of an ostrich) even though rudimentary or modified so no longer having the power of flight

b : any of various anatomical structures (as of a flying fish or flying lemur) providing means of limited flight

2 : an appendage or part resembling a wing in appearance, position, or function: such as

a : a device worn under the arms to aid a person in swimming or staying afloat water wings

b : ala

c : a turned-back or extended edge on an article of clothing

d : a sidepiece at the top of an armchair

e(1) : a foliaceous, membranous, or woody expansion of a plant especially along a stem or on a samara or capsule

(2) : either of the two lateral petals of a papilionaceous flower

f : a vane of a windmill or arrow

g : sail

h : an airfoil that develops a major part of the lift which supports a heavier-than-air aircraft

i chiefly British : fender sense d

3 : a means of flight or rapid progress

4 : the act or manner of flying : flight take wing

5 : a side or outlying region or district

6 : a part or feature of a building usually projecting from and subordinate to the main or central part the servants' wing

7a : one of the pieces of scenery at the side of a stage

b wings plural : the area at the side of the stage out of sight

8a : a left or right section of an army or fleet : flank

b : one of the offensive positions or players on either side of a center position in certain team sports also : flanker

9a : either of two opposing groups within an organization or society : faction

b : a section of an organized body (such as a legislative chamber) representing a group or faction holding distinct opinions or policies — compare left wing, right wing

10a : a unit of the U.S. Air Force higher than a group and lower than a division

b : two or more squadrons of naval airplanes

11 : a dance step marked by a quick outward and inward rolling glide of one foot

12 wings plural : insignia consisting of an outspread pair of stylized bird's wings which are awarded on completion of prescribed training to a qualified pilot, aircrew member, or military balloon pilot

in the wings

1 : out of sight in the stage wings

2 : close at hand in the background : readily available had a plan waiting in the wings

on the wing

1 : in flight : flying

2 : in motion

under one's wing

: under one's protection : in one's care took her under his wing

wing

verb

winged; winging; wings

Definition of wing (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to fit with wings

b : to enable to fly or move swiftly

2a : to traverse with or as if with wings

b : to effect or achieve by flying

3 : to let fly : dispatch would start to wing punches— A. J. Liebling

4a : to wound in the wing : disable the wing of winged the duck

b : to wound (as with a bullet) without killing winged by a sniper

5 : to do or perform without preparation or guidelines : improvise winging it

intransitive verb

: to go with or as if with wings : fly —often used with it winged it to Europe

Other Words from wing Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about wing

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Synonyms for wing

Synonyms: Noun

bloc, block, body, coalition, faction, party, sect, set, side

Synonyms: Verb

aviate, fly, glide, plane, soar

Examples of wing in a Sentence

Noun

In the library's north wing, you'll find the current periodicals. She works in the pediatric wing of the hospital. The guest room is in the east wing.

Verb

The team winged to Moscow for the finals. She winged the ball over to first base. The soldier was winged by a stray bullet.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Kevin Labanc was on a line with Couture and Meier, and Dylan Gambrell, normally a center, played the wing on Hertl and Kane’s line. — Curtis Pashelka, The Mercury News, "San Jose Sharks begin new era without a franchise icon," 13 Sep. 2019 The new wing, to the rear of the Bliss Building, will encompass 50,000-square feet and provide space for more private beds, intensive-care beds and larger operating rooms. — Kenneth R. Gosselin, courant.com, "Hartford HealthCare plans major expansion at Hartford Hospital," 11 Sep. 2019 Let’s hope, too, that the more radical wing among protesters will let the town hall gatherings proceed without disruption. — Christine Loh, Time, "Hong Kong People Know That They Are Better Than Their Current Politics," 7 Sep. 2019 Flip the wing over and transfer the mirror image to the other large pumpkin. — Joan Lang, Woman's Day, "Going Bats Pumpkin," 5 Sep. 2019 In August, Mozambique’s president, Filipe Nyusi, signed a peace agreement with Ossufo Momade, the leader of the country’s main opposition group, Renamo, requiring the disarmament of the party’s armed wing. — Jason Horowitz, New York Times, "Pope Francis Goes to Africa, With Renewed Focus on Poverty and Climate," 4 Sep. 2019 For example, scientists at Cornell studying the movements insect wings make as the insects hover found that the wingtips trace out figure-eight patterns, minimizing power consumption. — Shweta Narayan, Smithsonian, "How Engineers of New Energy Technology Are Taking Cues From Nature," 31 Aug. 2019 And starting the wings at a low temperature before blasting them with high heat helps to render out some of the fat from the skin as well, which gets them brown faster. — Alex Delany, Bon Appétit, "How to Choose the Right Hot Sauce for the Job," 29 Aug. 2019 The wings were crispy as ordered and meaty, though the lemon pepper description was misleading. — Amy Drew Thompson, orlandosentinel.com, "Sports? Sportsball? Food is the Great Uniter at Duffy’s Sports Grill | Review," 29 Aug. 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

Trump sounded like nothing so much as a grade-school student who hadn’t done his homework and was winging his class presentation. — Daniel W. Drezner, The Denver Post, "Guest Commentary: An especially effective day in the beclowning of the Trump White House," 21 Aug. 2019 The Athletic’s Christian Caple looks back at Washington’s season-opening victory over Eastern Washington, and the way QB Jacob Eason came out winging it. — oregonlive, "Oregon, Oregon State and Portland State all lost, but PSU had the weekend’s best performance: Issues & Answers," 2 Sep. 2019 Precision and detail will lead to far greater success than winging it or trusting others to do their fair share. — Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, "Horoscopes: Aug. 22, 2019," 22 Aug. 2019 In one wartime poll, a third of Americans reported wanting to own a plane, so car manufacturers built cars that were winged, wide, and streamlined, with jet-engine trim. — Nathan Heller, The New Yorker, "Was the Automotive Era a Terrible Mistake?," 22 July 2019 What was coming was another black swan, winging its way west. — John D'anna, azcentral, "For a while in 1983, sheets of plywood were all that kept the mighty Glen Canyon Dam from overflowing," 18 July 2019 Fans wanted Conrad’s winged eyeliner look or the chance to not turn down a trip to Paris while interning at Teen Vogue. — Yvonne Villarreal, latimes.com, "‘The Hills’ helped invent the social media influencer. Now what?," 24 June 2019 Tents were pitched on his lawn; retired journalists and overworked lawyers were winging their way into town. — Christine Biederman, WIRED, "Inside Backpage.com’s Vicious Battle With the Feds," 18 June 2019 Next, heavily line the top lid with Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Perversion, winging out on the end for a sultry cat-eye. — Jenna Rosenstein, Harper's BAZAAR, "Nathalie Emmanuel and Maisie Williams Both Wore the Urban Decay Game of Thrones Collab," 4 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wing.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.