on the wing
Idioms-
In flight, usually referring to a bird as opposed to a plane. For example, Louise is very good at identifying birds on the wing . [Late 1400s]
-
Active, in motion, as in Coaches are always on the wing, trying to recruit talented athletes . This usage may be obsolescent. [c. 1500]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
When this happens, they position themselves based on their team-mate on the wing - with one out wide and one more central.
From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026
Staying fit has been Feyi-Waboso's problem, and England must manage him and Freeman - who has looked more threatening on the wing than at 13 - correctly over the next 12 months.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
“Above the river, the seagulls kept on the wing as long as they could, hoping the turbulence would bring them a good find”—not unlike these characters, struggling to hang on through uncertain weather.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 6, 2026
Sing's Gloucester-Hartpury team-mate Mia Venner wins her third cap on the wing to complete a new-look combination to face Italy in Parma on Saturday.
From BBC ● May 5, 2026
The quicker birds snatched morsels on the wing and gulped them down greedily.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
