wing
wing — verb
- wingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- wings3rd person singular
- winging-ing form
- wingedpast simple
1. to do something or give an answer without having planned or practised it beforeh
to do something or give an answer without having planned or practised it beforehand, relying on your natural ability to handle the situation as it happens
Constanza had to wing her presentation when her notes got lost on the train.
wing + possessive noun — present without preparation
Rather than follow a recipe, Dewi decided to wing it and added spices by taste.
Chidi had not rehearsed his speech, so he simply winged it for the audience.
Ada is good at winging answers during oral exams because she thinks quickly.
Ignacio warned the team not to wing the client meeting without any preparation.
- improvise
more formal; works in both speech and writing
- ad-lib
specifically for unscripted speaking or performing
- play it by ear
similar meaning but suggests reacting to events rather than actively creating material on the spot
文法句型
wing + it
wing + noun phrase (a speech, an answer, a presentation)
用法筆記
Almost always used with the pronoun 'it' as the object in the fixed expression 'wing it.' Other objects (e.g., 'wing a speech') are possible but less common. The past tense is 'winged it,' not 'wung it.' This sense is distinctly informal and rarely appears in formal writing.
常見錯誤
wing — noun
- wingsingular
- wingsplural
1. each of the two flat limbs that a bird or insect flaps up and down in order to m
each of the two flat limbs that a bird or insect flaps up and down in order to move through the sky.
The owl stretched its wing wide before flying from the tree branch.
possessive + wing for physical body part
Femí gently held the sparrow's broken wing while the vet examined it.
A single feather from the crow's wing landed on the garden wall.
The butterfly's wing showed a bright pattern of orange and black dots.
Dewi watched the eagle spread its wing and glide above the hill.
- pinion
formal or literary term for a bird's wing; very rare in everyday speech
文法句型
wing + of + bird/insect/bat
possessive + wing
2. a long, flat structure that sticks out sideways from an aircraft's main body and
a long, flat structure that sticks out sideways from an aircraft's main body and generates the upward force necessary for staying airborne.
Ice formed on the plane's wing during the storm, so the flight was delayed.
form on + wing — weather-related collocation
Lucía looked out the window and watched the wing of the aircraft move slightly.
The pilot checked the right wing carefully before the plane took off.
Birds sometimes sit on the wing of a parked plane at small airports.
The left wing of the small aircraft was damaged during the rough landing.
文法句型
wing + of + plane
adjective + wing
用法筆記
Frequently paired with left or right to specify which side of the aircraft. The wing is a single structure on each side, not the two sides together.
常見錯誤
3. a chicken part from the wing area that is cooked and served as a meal, often coa
a chicken part from the wing area that is cooked and served as a meal, often coated in a spicy or sweet sauce.
Constanza ordered a plate of spicy chicken wings for the whole table.
chicken wing(s) — fixed food collocation
Sahil dipped his chicken wing in the sweet sauce and took a bite.
The restaurant serves chicken wings with a side of celery and blue cheese.
Maja made oven-baked wings for the party instead of buying fried ones.
Putri picked up a sticky barbecue wing and laughed at the mess on her fingers.
文法句型
chicken wing
spicy wing
adjective + wing
用法筆記
Almost always appears as chicken wings in the plural when referring to the dish. The singular chicken wing usually refers to one piece.
4. to fly away after taking off from a surface — used about a bird that lifts off t
to fly away after taking off from a surface — used about a bird that lifts off the ground or a branch and flies into the air.
The sparrow took wing the moment Eve opened the cage door.
took wing — fixed phrase expressing departure
Talia watched the flock of geese take wing and head south for winter.
The young eagle took wing for the first time and rose above the canyon.
As the cat crept closer, the pigeon took wing and flew onto the roof.
Daichi pointed at the hawk and shouted when it took wing from the fence.
文法句型
takes wing
took wing
用法筆記
Always used with take (not get or make) in this fixed phrase. The subject must be a bird or flying creature. Cannot describe aircraft taking off.
常見錯誤
5. to allow something such as an emotion, idea, or imagination to develop or expres
to allow something such as an emotion, idea, or imagination to develop or express itself without any limits.
The music gave wing to Élise's imagination as she painted the sunset scene.
give wing to + imagination — literary collocation
The discovery of the ancient city gave wing to the archaeologist's research.
Hiro's passion for poetry found wing after he moved to the coastal town.
The new project gave wing to ideas that the team had never considered before.
文法句型
give wing to + abstract noun
find wing in + abstract noun
用法筆記
A literary expression. The object after give wing to is always an abstract noun such as imagination, creativity, desire, ambition, or inspiration. Avoid with concrete objects.
常見錯誤
6. flying through the air — said of a bird currently in motion above the ground, mo
flying through the air — said of a bird currently in motion above the ground, moving by flapping or gliding.
Yael took a photo of the eagle on the wing above the mountain ridge.
on the wing — prepositional phrase as adverbial
The falcon on the wing looked graceful as it circled above the lake.
Aarav could identify a hawk on the wing from more than a mile away.
The children watched a flock of geese on the wing flying in a wide V.
Photographing a bird on the wing requires a fast camera and steady hands.
文法句型
on the wing
用法筆記
Cannot describe aircraft, insects, or bats — only birds (or occasionally birds as a general class). Compare with sense 4 (takes wing): on the wing describes the state of being in flight; takes wing describes the moment of departure.
常見錯誤
7. a faction inside a political body whose views are not the same as the parent gro
a faction inside a political body whose views are not the same as the parent group's positions
The conservative wing of the party opposed the new education policy.
conservative/liberal wing of [organization]
The youth wing held a separate meeting to discuss its own goals.
Ziad joined the progressive wing that wanted faster economic reforms.
The two wings of the organization finally reached an agreement on the budget.
8. a projecting area of a big structure that lies away from the central mass, somet
a projecting area of a big structure that lies away from the central mass, sometimes built after the original construction
The hospital's new wing opened last month with fifty extra beds.
new wing for [function]
The east wing of the museum contains the modern art collection.
The school library wing was added to the original building in 2019.
A fire damaged the west wing of the hotel last Tuesday morning.
用法筆記
Directional labels (east wing, north wing, west wing) are the most common way to refer to different sections of a building.
9. a shaped plate fitted above each wheel on a car, keeping road dirt from splashin
a shaped plate fitted above each wheel on a car, keeping road dirt from splashing upward
Camila's car had a large dent on the front wing after the accident.
front/rear wing
The driver's side wing was badly scratched in the parking lot.
The repair shop replaced the left wing and repainted the whole door.
Snow collected behind the car's rear wing during the winter storm.
- fender
standard American English term for the same part
用法筆記
This sense is primarily British English; in American English the same part is called a fender.
常見錯誤
10. a position or area along the outer edges of the field in games like football or
a position or area along the outer edges of the field in games like football or hockey, also describing the player who plays there
Lucía played left wing for the national hockey team last season.
play left/right wing
The goalkeeper kicked the ball to the wing on the far side of the field.
The coach moved David from center to the right wing at halftime.
Fans cheered as the wing scored the winning goal in the final minute.
- winger
preferred in certain sports such as rugby and soccer; refers only to the player, not the area
用法筆記
When referring to the player, 'wing' can be used alone ('the wing scored') or with a modifier ('left wing', 'right wing'). In some sports, 'winger' is an alternative term for the player.
11. the off-stage space on either side of a theatre platform that the audience canno
the off-stage space on either side of a theatre platform that the audience cannot see
The actors stood quietly in the wing, waiting for their cue to enter.
in the wing (stage area)
The stage manager signaled from the wing when the music began.
Élise could hear the audience laughing while she waited in the wing.
A loud crash came from the wing and surprised everyone on stage.
用法筆記
The singular 'wing' often refers to the whole off-stage side area as a general concept; the plural 'wings' may describe both sides together.
常見錯誤
12. the quality or character of a bird's flight when it is in the air — used to desc
the quality or character of a bird's flight when it is in the air — used to describe how steadily, powerfully, or gracefully a bird moves through the sky
The heron rose from the marsh with a slow, deliberate wing.
describes the quality of flight motion
With a swift and steady wing, the peregrine cut through the morning air.
with a + adjective + wing for manner of flight
Talia admired the kestrel — such lightness of wing as it hovered above the grass.
With a powerful wing the swan lifted from the icy lake.
The young owl took flight with an uncertain wing, wobbling as it crossed the field.
用法筆記
Unlike sense 1 (the physical limb), this sense describes the quality of a bird's flight as an abstract attribute — how it moves, how fast or gracefully it flies. Unlike sense 6 (on the wing, which describes the state of being in flight), this sense is about the character of that flight. It often appears with adjectives (steady wing, graceful wing, powerful wing) and is more common in literary or descriptive writing.