wing

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wing¹

  • /wɪŋ/ US, UK
  • /ˈwɪŋɡ/ Midlands, Northern England

Rhymes with -ɪŋ

Where it comes from

From Middle English winge, wenge, from Old Norse vængr ("wing of a flying animal, wing of a building"; compare vængi (“ship's cabin”)), from Proto-Germanic *wēingijaz, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂weh₁- (“to blow”), thus related to wind.

Cognate with Danish, Norwegian Bokmål, and Swedish vinge (“wing”), Elfdalian waingg (“wing”), Faroese vongur (“wing”), Icelandic vængur (“wing”), Norwegian Nynorsk veng (“wing”).

Replaced native Middle English fither (from Old English fiþre, from Proto-Germanic *fiþriją), which merged with Middle English fether (from Old English feþer, from Proto-Germanic *feþrō). More at feather.

noun wings · weng · whing · wyng

  1. countable, uncountable An appendage of an animal's (bird, bat, insect) body that enables it to fly. The bird was flapping its wings
  2. countable, uncountable A fin at the side of a ray or similar fish.
  3. countable, slang, uncountable Human arm.
  4. countable, uncountable Part of an aircraft that produces the lift for rising into the air. I took my seat on the plane, overlooking the wing.
  5. countable, uncountable One of the large pectoral fins of a flying fish.
  6. countable, uncountable One of the broad, thin, anterior lobes of the foot of a pteropod, used as an organ in swimming.
  7. countable, uncountable Any membranaceous expansion, such as that along the sides of certain stems, or one of the bracts on a dragon fruit, or of a fruit of the kind called samara.
  8. countable, uncountable Either of the two side petals of a papilionaceous flower.
  9. countable, uncountable A side shoot of a tree or plant; a branch growing up by the side of another.
  10. countable, uncountable Passage by flying; flight. to take wing
  11. countable, uncountable Limb or instrument of flight; means of flight or of rapid motion. Fiery expedition be my wing.
  12. countable, uncountable A part of something that is lesser in size than the main body, and located at the side, such as an extension from the main building. the west wing of the hospital
  13. countable, figuratively, uncountable Either of two similar parts of something. Before going any farther on a wild goose chase I should advise you to verify the admitted American influence in the affair as connectible with Rigby Lacksome […]. Until that point is settled both wings of your deductions are purely in the air.
  14. countable, uncountable One of the longer sides of crownworks or hornworks in fortification.
  15. Multicultural London English, abbreviation, countable, ellipsis, slang, uncountable Ellipsis of prison wing, a cellblock; or prison or doing time by extension. They got bro-bro stuck on the wing, cah I picked up and bullet him
  16. countable, uncountable Anything that agitates the air as a wing does, or is put in winglike motion by the action of the air, such as a fan or vane for winnowing grain, the vane or sail of a windmill, the sail of a ship, etc. Fair ship, that from the Italian shore, ⁠Sailest the placid ocean-plains ⁠With my lost Arthur’s loved remains, Spread thy full wings, and waft him o’er.
  17. countable, uncountable A protruding piece of material on a menstrual pad or diaper to hold it in place and prevent leakage. It's a bit annoying but (like sanitary pads with wings) it's worth it if you want to stay extra secure.
  18. countable, uncountable An ornament worn on the shoulder; a small epaulet or shoulder knot.
  19. countable, uncountable A cosmetic effect where eyeliner curves outward and ends at a point.
  20. countable, uncountable A faction of a political movement. Usually implies a position apart from the mainstream center position.
  21. UK, countable, uncountable A unit of command consisting of two or more squadrons and itself being a sub-unit of a group or station.
  22. US, countable, uncountable A larger formation of two or more groups, which in turn control two or more squadrons.
  23. UK, countable, uncountable A panel of a car which encloses the wheel area, especially the front wheels.

    Similar: fender, guard

  24. countable, uncountable A platform on either side of the bridge of a vessel, normally found in pairs.
  25. countable, uncountable That part of the hold or orlop of a vessel which is nearest the sides. In a fleet, one of the extremities when the ships are drawn up in line, or when forming the two sides of a triangle. their ends may rest a little below the orlop-wing gratings
  26. countable, uncountable A position in several field games on either side of the field. Smith started the game in the centre of midfield, but moved to the wing after 30 minutes.
  27. countable, uncountable A player occupying such a position; a winger. The Tottenham wing was causing havoc down the right and when he broke past the bemused Sasa Balic once again, Bellamy was millimetres from connecting with his cross as the Liverpool striker hurled himself at the ball.
  28. countable, informal, rare, uncountable A háček. ˇ wing, wedge, hǎcek, inverted circumflex (Karel Čapek)
  29. countable, uncountable One of the unseen areas on the side of the stage in a theatre. The performers crowded breathlessly in the wings.
  30. countable, in plural, uncountable The insignia of a qualified pilot or aircrew member. Anyone and everyone with wings - press officers, operations specialists, even General Curtis LeMay, commander of the U.S. Air Force in Europe - was put on flight duty and took turns flying double shifts for "Operation Vittles."
  31. countable, uncountable A portable shelter consisting of a fabric roof on a frame, like a tent without sides.
  32. countable, uncountable On the enneagram, one of the two adjacent types to an enneatype that forms an individual's subtype of his or her enneatype. Tom's a 4 on the enneagram, with a 3 wing.
  33. collective, countable, uncountable A group of plover. A wing of plover , followed by a pack of grouse , were too much for him - or rather , too much for me, for he left me to pursue them

Similar: forward, delta, garrison

verb wings · winging · winged · wung

  1. transitive To injure slightly (as with a gunshot), especially in the wing or arm.
  2. intransitive To fly. Breezes blowing from beds of iris quickened her breath with their perfume; she saw the tufted lilacs sway in the wind, and the streamers of mauve-tinted wistaria swinging, all a-glisten with golden bees; she saw a crimson cardinal winging through the foliage, and amorous tanagers flashing like scarl
  3. intransitive To travel swiftly. He had pulled up so expertly that the man escaped, so smoothly that not a passenger was jarred, and now he sat with a dazed and vacant expression on his face, leaning forward on his steering wheel, while caustic inquiry and retort winged unheeded up and down the line behind him.
  4. transitive, of a building To add a wing (extra part) to.
  5. transitive To act or speak extemporaneously; to improvise; to wing it. I lost all my notes I'd made, so was partially winging the meeting.
  6. transitive To throw.

    Similar: fling, hurl, bung, cast, chuck, chunk, cook, dash, dump, feck, jerk, heave

  7. transitive To furnish with wings.
  8. transitive To transport with, or as if with, wings; to bear in flight, or speedily. ⁠Deep folly! yet that this could be— ⁠That I could wing my will with might ⁠To leap the grades of life and light, And flash at once, my friend, to thee: […]
  9. transitive To traverse by flying.

Wing²

proper noun

  1. A surname.
  2. A large village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, previously in Aylesbury Vale district (OS grid ref SP8822).
  3. A village and civil parish in Rutland, England (OS grid ref SK8903).
  4. An unincorporated community in Covington County, Alabama, United States.
  5. A small town in Burleigh County, North Dakota, United States.

Thesaurus

Closest in meaning: fly, fender, flank, extension, backstage, offstage, annex, annexe, fin, butterfly, paw, tail, limb, breast, arm, ala

noun

Similar: forward, delta, garrison

Translations

Every language

noun part of an animal

Español[el] ala
한국어날개 nalgae
日本語翼 tsubasa, 羽 hane
中文翅膀 chìbǎng, 膀子 bǎngzi
हिन्दीपंख paṅkh, पर par, पक्ष pakṣ, पर्ण parṇ
Kiswahiliubawa, bawa
Portuguêsasa
Françaisaile
DeutschFlügel, Schwinge
Italianoala
Ελληνικάφτερό fteró, φτερούγα fteroúga, πτέρυγα ptéryga
Românăaripă
Русскийкрыло́ kryló
Tiếng Việtcánh
العربيةجَنَاح janāḥ, كَنَف kanaf
עבריתכָּנָף kanáf, אֶבְרָה evra

noun air force unit

日本語飛行隊 hikōtai
中文聯隊 /联队 liánduì
DeutschTragfläche, Tragflügel
Italianosquadra
Ελληνικάπτέρυγα ptéryga
Русскийавиапо́лк aviapólk
العربيةجناح

noun sports: position in many team sports

Españolflanco, ala
Kiswahiliwingi
Portuguêsala
Françaisaile
Русскийкра́йний напада́ющий krájnij napadájuščij

noun sports: person in such position

Españolalero, alera, ala, puntero, puntera
Françaisailier
Русскийкра́йний напада́ющий krájnij napadájuščij

noun part of an aircraft

Españolala
한국어날개 nalgae
日本語翼 tsubasa
中文機翼 /机翼 jīyì
Portuguêsasa
Françaisaile
DeutschFlügel
Italianoala
Ελληνικάφτερό fteró
Românăaripă
Русскийкрыло́ kryló
العربيةجَنَاح janāḥ

noun extension to a main body

Españolala, sección, parte
Portuguêsala, asa
Françaisaile
DeutschFlügel, Gebäudeflügel, Gebäudetrakt
Italianoala
Ελληνικάπτέρυγα ptéryga
Русскийкрыло́ kryló, фли́гель flígelʹ
العربيةجَنَاح janāḥ

noun faction of a political movement

Españolala
日本語翼 yoku
中文翼 yì
Kiswahilimrengo
Portuguêsala
Françaisaile
DeutschFlügel
Ελληνικάπτέρυγα ptéryga
Românăaripă
Русскийкрыло́ kryló
العربيةجَنَاح janāḥ

noun panel of a car which encloses the wheel area

日本語フェンダー fendā
Françaisaile
DeutschKotflügel
Italianoparafango
Ελληνικάφτερό fteró
Русскийкрыло́ kryló

noun extension of a ship's bridge

Italianoala

verb to be extemporaneous

Españolimprovisar
Portuguêsimprovisar
Françaisimproviser
Deutschimprovisieren

verb to injure slightly

Portuguêsferir (no braço)
Русскийра́нить ránitʹ, подстрели́ть podstrelítʹ

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Cite this
MLA

"wing." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/wing. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

APA

wing. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/wing

Chicago

"wing." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/wing.

BibTeX
@misc{wing_2026,
  title = {wing},
  howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://micwyn.com/word/wing},
  urldate = {2026-11-06}
}