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WING
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A movable organ for flying (one of a pair)
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
organ (a fully differentiated structural and functional unit in an animal that is specialized for some particular function)
Meronyms (parts of "wing"):
alula; bastard wing; spurious wing (tuft of small stiff feathers on the first digit of a bird's wing)
flight feather; pinion; quill; quill feather (any of the larger wing or tail feathers of a bird)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wing"):
ala (a wing of an insect)
fore-wing; fore wing; forewing (either of the anterior pair of wings on an insect that has four wings)
balancer; halter; haltere (either of the rudimentary hind wings of dipterous insects; used for maintaining equilibrium during flight)
pennon; pinion (wing of a bird)
elytron; wing case (either of the horny front wings in beetles and some other insects which cover and protect the functional hind wings)
Holonyms ("wing" is a part of...):
bird (warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings)
bat; chiropteran (nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate)
insect (small air-breathing arthropod)
angel (spiritual being attendant upon God)
Derivation:
wing (travel through the air; be airborne)
Sense 2
Meaning:
An addition that extends a main building
Synonyms:
annex; annexe; extension; wing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
add-on; addition; improver (a component that is added to something to improve it)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wing"):
ell (an extension at the end and at right angles to the main building)
Holonyms ("wing" is a part of...):
building; edifice (a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place)
Sense 3
Meaning:
A barrier that surrounds the wheels of a vehicle to block splashing water or mud
Example:
in Britain they call a fender a wing
Synonyms:
fender; wing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
barrier (a structure or object that impedes free movement)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wing"):
mudguard; splash-guard; splash guard (a curved piece above the wheel of a bicycle or motorcycle to protect the rider from water or mud thrown up by the wheels)
Holonyms ("wing" is a part of...):
auto; automobile; car; machine; motorcar (a motor vehicle with four wheels; usually propelled by an internal combustion engine)
Sense 4
Meaning:
One of the horizontal airfoils on either side of the fuselage of an airplane
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
aerofoil; airfoil; control surface; surface (a device that provides reactive force when in motion relative to the surrounding air; can lift or control a plane in flight)
Meronyms (parts of "wing"):
rib (support resembling the rib of an animal)
flap; flaps (a movable airfoil that is part of an aircraft wing; used to increase lift or drag)
aileron (an airfoil that controls lateral motion)
Holonyms ("wing" is a part of...):
aeroplane; airplane; plane (an aircraft that has a fixed wing and is powered by propellers or jets)
Derivation:
wing (travel through the air; be airborne)
Sense 5
Meaning:
A stage area out of sight of the audience
Synonyms:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
stage (a large platform on which people can stand and can be seen by an audience)
Sense 6
Meaning:
Example:
he preferred the drumsticks to the wings
Classified under:
Nouns denoting foods and drinks
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
helping; portion; serving (an individual quantity of food or drink taken as part of a meal)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "wing"):
turkey wing (the wing of a turkey)
chicken wing (the wing of a chicken)
Holonyms ("wing" is a part of...):
bird; fowl (the flesh of a bird or fowl (wild or domestic) used as food)
Sense 7
Meaning:
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
air unit (a military unit that is part of the airforce)
Meronyms (members of "wing"):
squadron (an air force unit larger than a flight and smaller than a group)
Domain category:
armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)
Holonyms ("wing" is a part of...):
air division; division (a unit of the United States Air Force usually comprising two or more wings)
Sense 8
Meaning:
The side of military or naval formation
Example:
they attacked the enemy's right flank
Synonyms:
flank; wing
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
formation (an arrangement of people or things acting as a unit)
Domain category:
armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)
Sense 9
Meaning:
A group within a political party or legislature or other organization that holds distinct views or has a particular function
Example:
they are the progressive wing of the Republican Party
Classified under:
Nouns denoting groupings of people or objects
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
social group (people sharing some social relation)
Sense 10
Meaning:
(in flight formation) a position to the side and just to the rear of another aircraft
Classified under:
Nouns denoting spatial position
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
place; position (the particular portion of space occupied by something)
Sense 11
Meaning:
A hockey player stationed in a forward position on either side
Classified under:
Hypernyms ("wing" is a kind of...):
hockey player; ice-hockey player (an athlete who plays hockey)
II. (verb)
Verb forms
Present simple: I / you / we / they wing ... he / she / it wings
Past simple: winged
-ing form: winging
Sense 1
Meaning:
Travel through the air; be airborne
Example:
Man cannot fly
Synonyms:
fly; wing
Classified under:
Verbs of walking, flying, swimming
Hypernyms (to "wing" is one way to...):
go; locomote; move; travel (change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically)
Verb group:
fly (travel over (an area of land or sea) in an aircraft)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "wing"):
buzz (fly low)
rack (fly in high wind)
flight (fly in a flock)
fly on (continue flying)
soar (fly upwards or high in the sky)
hover (hang in the air; fly or be suspended above)
Sentence frames:
Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP
Derivation:
wing (a movable organ for flying (one of a pair))
wing (one of the horizontal airfoils on either side of the fuselage of an airplane)
Context examples:
That is significant, because it strengthens the case the first "bat-winged" fossil, located in 2015 from a location only 50 miles away, was indeed a flyer.
(Second Bat-Like Dinosaur Discovered in China, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)
The researchers studied migration patterns in golden-winged warblers and blue-winged warblers, genetically similar species.
(New insights into genetic basis of bird migration, National Science Foundation)
We made merry about Dora's wanting to be liked, and Dora said I was a goose, and she didn't like me at any rate, and the short evening flew away on gossamer-wings.
(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)
And now we are all scattered; and for many a long day loneliness will sit over our roofs with brooding wings.
(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)
He fell from the height where he had been up-borne all day on the wings of inspiration.
(Martin Eden, by Jack London)
Some of the people you meet will be older than you—one may become a mentor and take you under his or her wing.
(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)
The moment we attempted to retreat the circle closed in upon us, until the tips of the wings of those nearest to us nearly touched our faces.
(The Lost World, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)
When an environment becomes too crowded with other aphids, females produce offspring with wings, rather than wingless offspring.
(Virus genes help determine if pea aphids get wings, National Science Foundation)
I said I should like to go; but reminded it, as you did me, that I had no wings to fly.
(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)
Have 3 pairs of legs, 3 body regions, 1 pair of antennae, and often 1-2 pairs of wings; 26 Orders, 703,500 known species.
(Insect, NIH CRISP Thesaurus)