Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

wing it

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.61 in modern English

Syllables: wing it
IPA

10

Scrabble Score

6

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To improvise; to make things up or figure things out as one goes; to perform with little or no preparation.

Informal

Example Sentences

"I don't know their system, but I think I can wing it."
"I didn't study for today's test, so I'll have to wing it."
"Plus, early in a career, bands are typically winging it from a creative standpoint; after awhile, acts figure out what they’re doing right (or wrong), and are more deliberate about songcraft and execution."
"“My [worry] is that after a week or more of mismanagement, I’m deeply concerned the government has made a difficult situation 10 times worse ... There is a growing concern the government is now winging it,” he said."

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

wings it (present, singular) winging it (participle, present) winged it (participle, past) winged it (past)

Phrases

half-ass

Frequently Paired Words

half-ass

Synonyms

fly by the seat of one's pants improvise make it up as one goes along play by ear

Questions

What does wing it mean?: To improvise; to make things up or figure things out as one goes; to perform with little or no preparation.

How to pronounce wing it

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “wing it”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “wing it”.
Repeat and practice — Say “wing it” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.