winglet

noun

wing·​let ˈwiŋ-lət How to pronounce winglet (audio)
: a small wing
also : a nearly vertical airfoil at an airplane's wingtip that reduces drag by inhibiting turbulence

Examples of winglet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But there, at the end of the wing, was a jagged ridge, perhaps a foot high, where the five-foot-tall winglet was supposed to be. Sam Roberts, New York Times, 15 Nov. 2023 Passenger Robert Earl Glenn II shared a picture of the congregation of bees, showing almost the entire winglet covered in the insects. Mirna Alsharif, NBC News, 5 May 2023 Featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Donald Duck and Daisy Duck in Mickey’s Toontown at Disneyland Park, the Boeing 737-800 also includes Chip ‘n’ Dale on the boarding doors and winglets. Nicholas Rice, Peoplemag, 4 Nov. 2023 Since the blended winglet, API has developed a split-scimitar winglet, now seen on over 700 737NGs, notably Southwest and United Airlines. Eric Tegler, Popular Mechanics, 5 July 2020 But not all private jets are designed with winglets, a fact that’s engendered a cottage industry of retrofitters adding them to older aircraft—a process backed by requiring structural testing and an FAA supplemental type certificate for modified aircraft. Basem Wasef, Robb Report, 26 Feb. 2023 Falling winglets’ at outboard tips of LED tail lights. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2023 Rising ‘winglets’ at outboard tips of narrow LED head lights. Mark Phelan, Detroit Free Press, 17 Apr. 2023 The estates of three people who died in a 2018 plane crash in Southern Indiana have reached a settlement with the aviation company behind a winglet system scrutinized in the incident. Billy Kobin, The Courier-Journal, 27 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'winglet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1611, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of winglet was in 1611

Dictionary Entries Near winglet

Cite this Entry

“Winglet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/winglet. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!