wingman

noun

wing·​man ˈwiŋ-mən 

-ˌman

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

Examples of wingman in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kendricks heroically broke up a fourth-down pass to seal the 49ers’ wild-card win in his first 49ers’ start, making his encore even more enticing, whether his weak-side wingman is again Garret Wallow or regular-season starter Dee Winters. —Cam Inman, Mercury News, 17 Jan. 2026

The simple fact that Jerry Garcia chose Weir as his three-decade foil and wingman in the Grateful Dead speaks volumes. —Alan Paul, Rolling Stone, 11 Jan. 2026

China, meanwhile, is working on its secretive loyal wingman projects. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 30 Dec. 2025

But Hiltz and his wingman still managing to successfully take out ISIS targets. —ABC News, 7 Dec. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for wingman

• dingman