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

Discover factions, hire wingmen, pilot capital ships, and more, while filling one of any number of potential roles, from pirate to peacekeeper, merchant to mercenary. —Alan Bradley, Space.com, 7 Oct. 2025

The only other time Latham sold a copy of the poem was to one of his father’s wingmen from war, Revis Sirmon from Abbeville, Louisiana. —Rick Mauch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Oct. 2025

Her high-spirited wingman, a Bulgarian named Slavko, was drinking beer out of a plastic cup at eleven o’clock in the morning. —Seth Harp, Harpers Magazine, 19 Sep. 2025

Originally intended to replace the existing F-22, the NGAD plane is planned to have enhanced stealth, weapon-carrying ability, and also a ‘loyal wingman’ drone. —Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for wingman

• dingman