- 1 [countable] one of the parts of the body of a bird, insect or bat that it uses for flying The swan flapped its wings noisily. wing feathers Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveleft, right, front, … … of wingspair verb + wingextend, flex, open, … wing + verbbeat, flap, flutter, … wing + nountip, feathers, span, … prepositionon a/the wing, under a/the wing See full entry See related entries: Parts of animals of plane
- 2 [countable] one of the large flat parts that stick out from the side of a plane and help to keep it in the air when it is flying Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveaircraft, left, port, … wing + nountip See full entry See related entries: Parts of a plane of building
- 3[countable] one of the parts of a large building that sticks out from the main part the east wing the new wing of the hospital Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivenorth, south, etc., … verb + wingadd, build prepositionin a/the wing See full entry of car
- 4(British English) (North American English fender) [countable] a part of a car that is above a wheel There was a dent in the nearside wing. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivenearside, offside, front, … verb + wingdamage, dent, mend, … wing + nounmirror prepositionin a/the wing See full entry See related entries: Parts of a car of organization
- 5[countable] one section of an organization that has a particular function or whose members share the same opinions synonym arm the radical wing of the party the political wing of the National Resistance Army see also left wing, right wing Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveleft, right, conservative, … prepositionon a/the wing See full entry in football/hockey
- 6[countable] = winger see also left wing, right wing
- 7[countable] the far left or right side of the sports field He plays on the wing. in theatre
- 8the wings [plural] the area at either side of the stage that cannot be seen by the audience She watched every performance from the wings. Wordfinderstagebackdrop, costume, curtain, footlights, prop, proscenium, scenery, set, stage, the wings See related entries: In the theatre Word OriginMiddle English (originally in the plural): from Old Norse vængir, plural of vængr.Extra examples First, fry the chicken wings in the oil until they begin to brown. He was playing on the right wing. I wish I could sprout wings and fly away. It flapped its wings and flew off. It had white markings on its wings. Mario felt he had had his wings clipped when his car was impounded. Our rooms were in the west wing. She was waiting in the wings, ready to go on stage when her turn came. Simon’s uncle had taken him under his wing. The ball went down the right wing. The beetle’s fore wings are small and are not used in flight. The nearside wing was damaged in the accident. The young birds were under the mother bird’s wing. There was a dent in one wing. There’s a wealth of talent waiting in the wings of British theatre. They’re on the left wing of the Labour Party. We watched from the wings. a bird with a broken wing the patterns on butterfly wings The political wing of the National Resistance Army entered into negotiations with the government. The radical wing of the party was dissatisfied with the policies.Idioms
noun jump to other results
BrE BrE//wɪŋ//; NAmE NAmE//wɪŋ//
In the theatre, Parts of a car, Parts of a plane, Parts of animals
to restrict a person’s freedom or power Having a new baby to take care of has clipped her wings.
to pass the exams that mean you are allowed to fly a plane
ready to take over a particular job or be used in a particular situation when needed She was aware of a whole host of ambitious young managers waiting in the wings.
(literary) (of a bird, insect, etc.) flying
with only a very slight chance of success
to become more independent and confident and try new activities, etc. Going to college gave her the chance to spread her wings.
to take care of and help somebody who has less experience of something than you
(literary) (of a bird, insect, etc.) to fly away (figurative) Her imagination took wing.
Check pronunciation: wing
