wingman

noun wing·man \ ˈwiŋ-mən , -ˌman \

Updated on: 16 Apr 2018

Definition of wingman

1 a : a pilot who flies behind and outside the leader of a flying formation

b informal : a male friend or partner who accompanies and supports a man in some activity

While guys find large groups of women intimidating, they think just a few together is the most inviting. If you hang out with a couple of friends, a guy would be able to approach you with a couple of his friends (i.e., wingmen), which would take the pressure off.
—Cosmopolitan

2 : winger

See wingman defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of wingman from the Web

The 6-foot-5 wingman added 5.3 rebounds per game and shot 80.3 percent from the free-throw line as a sophomore.

— mark inabinett, AL.com, "Watch military security dog yank down Mark Ingram," 4 Apr. 2018
His robotic wingman follows his lead, flying evenly at his side.

— joe pappalardo, Popular Mechanics, "F-35 Teams Up With Drone Wingmen in New Air Force Video," 26 Mar. 2018
Ponasik clearly misses the presence of her usual wingman, the endlessly creative choreographer James Zager.

— mike fischer, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "'The Cat in the Hat' arrives with a bump," 23 Jan. 2018
That’s Sam Terris, Hater’s twenty-five-year-old director of PR, Brendan’s second-in-command and all-around wingman.

— max guther, Esquire, "Sriracha Is for Closers," 16 Jan. 2018
Among Lou's favorite escapes was floating on a cruise ship at sea, often with his nephew, Alec DiNapoli and Alec's mother, Hope Benton, or his wingman Charlie Howe.

— courant.com, "Louis William Di Napoli," 8 Mar. 2018
Thomas Edwards, a professional wingman who coaches singles on how to approach people in bars, says his male clients are quite conflicted about how be both romantic and respectful when making a first move, which was already tough before.

— lisa bono, chicagotribune.com, "'It's tough for me to know where the line is': The #MeToo era is making dating more confusing," 17 Feb. 2018
Wingman pairs manned vehicles with unmanned Humvees, allowing the troops in the manned vehicle to send their robot wingman to do the dirty work.

— kyle mizokami, Popular Mechanics, "The U.S. Army’s Robotic Humvee, the Wingman, Is Learning to Shoot," 7 Feb. 2018
But even if Pence can avoid legal pitfalls, skating past any future political fallout as Trump’s wingman will be more difficult.

— tom lobianco, The Seattle Times, "Pence’s approach to troubles in White House: He wasn’t there," 4 Feb. 2018

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