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

Coalitions forming Whitney Tilson, a former hedge fund manager, acted as a wingman for Cuomo throughout the debate. —Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 13 June 2025

Another of those picks turned out to be Jalen Williams, who averaged 21.6 points during this past regular season and turned out to be a pretty good wingman. —Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 5 June 2025

Stephen Curry and new wingman Jimmy Butler have revitalized the Golden State Warriors. —Jack Magruder, Forbes.com, 19 Apr. 2025

The Fairy Godmother is replaced by Dandini (baritone Efraín Solís), who is the tutor and wingman to Prince Ramiro (Grammy Award nominee and tenor Victor Ryan Robertson). —James Russell, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1942, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for wingman

• dingman