Adjacent Words
on the tenter-hookson the tiles
on the tip of one's tongue
on the town
on the turn
on the verge
On the volley
on the wagon
on the wane
On the warpath
on the water wagon
on the way
On the weather beam
on the whole
on the wind
On the wings of the wind
on thin ice
on tick
on time
on tiptoe
On to
on top of
on top of the world
on tour
on track
on trial
on trust
on view
on your guard
On't
Full-text Search for "on the wing"
9900
on the wing definitions
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WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)
adv
1: flying through the air; "we saw the ducks in flight" [syn: in flight, on the wing]
Merriam Webster's
phrasal1. in flight; flying2. in motion
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
On the wing. (a) Supported by, or flying with, the wings another. On the wings of the wind, with the utmost velocity. Under the wing, or wings, of, under the care or protection of. Wing and wing (Naut.), with sails hauled out on either side; -- said of a schooner, or her sails, when going before the wind with the foresail on one side and the mainsail on the other; also said of a square-rigged vessel which has her studding sails set. Cf. Goosewinged. Wing case (Zo["o]l.), one of the anterior wings of beetles, and of some other insects, when thickened and used to protect the hind wings; an elytron; -- called also wing cover. Wing covert (Zo["o]l.), one of the small feathers covering the bases of the wing quills. See Covert, n., 2. Wing gudgeon (Mach.), an iron gudgeon for the end of a wooden axle, having thin, broad projections to prevent it from turning in the wood. See Illust. of Gudgeon. Wing shell (Zo["o]l.), wing case of an insect. Wing stroke, the stroke or sweep of a wing. Wing transom (Naut.), the uppermost transom of the stern; -- called also main transom. --J. Knowles.
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
On On, prep. [OE. on, an, o, a, AS. on, an; akin to D. aan, OS. & G. an, OHG. ana, Icel. [=a], Sw. [*a], Goth. ana, Russ. na, L. an-, in anhelare to pant, Gr. 'ana`, Zend ana. [root]195. Cf. A-, 1, Ana-, Anon.] The general signification of on is situation, motion, or condition with respect to contact or support beneath; as: 1. At, or in contact with, the surface or upper part of a thing, and supported by it; placed or lying in contact with the surface; as, the book lies on the table, which stands on the floor of a house on an island. I stood on the bridge at midnight. --Longfellow. 2. To or against the surface of; -- used to indicate the motion of a thing as coming or falling to the surface of another; as, rain falls on the earth. Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken. --Matt. xxi. 44. 3. Denoting performance or action by contact with the surface, upper part, or outside of anything; hence, by means of; with; as, to play on a violin or piano. Hence, figuratively, to work on one's feelings; to make an impression on the mind. 4. At or near; adjacent to; -- indicating situation, place, or position; as, on the one hand, on the other hand; the fleet is on the American coast. 5. In addition to; besides; -- indicating multiplication or succession in a series; as, heaps on heaps; mischief on mischief; loss on loss; thought on thought. --Shak. 6. Indicating dependence or reliance; with confidence in; as, to depend on a person for assistance; to rely on; hence, indicating the ground or support of anything; as, he will promise on certain conditions; to bet on a horse. 7. At or in the time of; during; as, on Sunday we abstain from labor. See At (synonym). 8. At the time of, conveying some notion of cause or motive; as, on public occasions, the officers appear in full dress or uniform. Hence, in consequence of, or following; as, on the ratification of the treaty, the armies were disbanded. 9. Toward; for; -- indicating the object of some passion; as, have pity or compassion on him. 10. At the peril of, or for the safety of. ``Hence, on thy life.'' --Dryden. 11. By virtue of; with the pledge of; -- denoting a pledge or engagement, and put before the thing pledged; as, he affirmed or promised on his word, or on his honor. 12. To the account of; -- denoting imprecation or invocation, or coming to, falling, or resting upon; as, on us be all the blame; a curse on him. His blood be on us and on our children. --Matt. xxvii. 25. 13. In reference or relation to; as, on our part expect punctuality; a satire on society. 14. Of. [Obs.] ``Be not jealous on me.'' --Shak. Or have we eaten on the insane root That takes the reason prisoner? --Shak. Note: Instances of this usage are common in our older writers, and are sometimes now heard in illiterate speech. 15. Occupied with; in the performance of; as, only three officers are on duty; on a journey. 16. In the service of; connected with; of the number of; as, he is on a newspaper; on a committee. Note: On and upon are in general interchangeable. In some applications upon is more euphonious, and is therefore to be preferred; but in most cases on is preferable. On a bowline. (Naut.) Same as Closehauled. On a wind, or On the wind (Naut.), sailing closehauled. On a sudden. See under Sudden. On board, On draught, On fire, etc. See under Board, Draught, Fire, etc. On it, On't, of it. [Obs. or Colloq.] --Shak. On shore, on land; to the shore. On the road, On the way, On the wing, etc. See under Road, Way, etc. On to, upon; on; to; -- sometimes written as one word, onto, and usually called a colloquialism; but it may be regarded in analogy with into. They have added the -en plural form on to an elder plural. --Earle. We see the strength of the new movement in the new class of ecclesiastics whom it forced on to the stage. --J. R. Green.
Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms
1. Flying, in flight. 2. Departing.
