winger

IPA/ˈwɪŋə(r)/
KK[wˈɪŋɚ]IPA/ˈwɪŋər/

winger — noun

  • wingersingular
  • wingersplural

1. in team sports like football and ice hockey, an attacking player who stays on th

1.nounB1
Definition

in team sports like football and ice hockey, an attacking player who stays on the far left or far right side of the pitch and moves forward to set up scoring opportunities for the team

Example

Owen played as a winger for the national team before moving to midfield.

played as a winger + for [team]

The coach told the winger to stay near the sideline and look for crossing chances.

Common collocations
  • play as a winger
  • left winger / right winger
  • fast winger
  • winger delivers crosses
  • beat defenders
Synonyms
  • wide player

    a broader term for any player who operates near the sideline, not necessarily an attacker

  • wingback

    a player who combines winger and defender duties, common in three- or five-defender formations

Antonyms
  • central midfielder

    a player who operates through the middle of the pitch rather than the sides

  • centre forward

    a central attacking player whose main job is to score goals rather than provide crosses from the side

Usage Note

Used mainly in football (soccer), ice hockey, and rugby. The hyphenated compounds left-winger and right-winger are also used in political contexts to describe someone with left-wing or right-wing views.

Common Mistakes

He is a winger in politics.
He is a left-winger in politics.
In political discussions the compound forms 'left-winger' and 'right-winger' are standard; 'winger' alone is not used.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Winger, wide player, and wingback all refer to players who operate near the sideline, but the roles differ. A winger is a classic attacking role focused on dribbling past defenders and sending crosses into the middle. A wide player is a more general term that can include any player stationed on the flank, whether attacking or defensive, and is often used in modern tactical discussions. A wingback is a hybrid of winger and full-back — they push forward to attack but also track back to defend, and usually play in formations with three centre-backs. For example, a manager might ask a winger to 'stay high and wide,' tell a wide player to 'cover the flank,' and instruct a wingback to 'run the entire length of the sideline.'

winger ↗wide playerwingback ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

Etymology

Old NorseEnglish

Formed in late 19th-century English from the noun wing (the outer side part of something, from Old Norse vængr) plus the agent suffix -er ('someone who does or is related to'). The sports sense first appeared in the 1880s during the early codification of football (soccer), referring to attacking players stationed on the wing of the pitch formation. By the early 1900s the term had extended to ice hockey and rugby.

First known use

1896

1896, in the meaning defined above