gull wing

noun

variants or gullwing or less commonly gull-wing
plural gull wings or gullwings also gull-wings
1
: a door on a car or airplane that opens upward from hinges at the top
The doors [of the Pagani Huayra sports car] are gull wings that open upwards …Richard Hammond
The "Pixel" [concept car] has doors reminiscent of the DeLorean's gullwings and no instruments other than the driver's iPad.Alistair Blair
usually gullwing or gull-wing when used before another noun
a gull-wing coupe
gullwing doors
also : a car that features gull wings
From its shape to its fanciful … doors, the US $186,000 Mercedes SLS AMG harks back to the classic SL gull-wing of the '50s. Lawrence Ulrich
2
: an airplane wing slanting upward from the fuselage for a short distance and then leveling out
The latest designs for a supersonic jet with "gull wings", which would enable flights between London and New York in 3.5 hours, have just been unveiled.Helen Coffey

Examples of gull wing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
McLaren has previously favored dihedral doors, but these are anhedral—colloquially known as gull wings. Jason Barlow, WIRED, 6 Oct. 2024 When a future Navigator was previewed as a concept car some years back, it was shown with a giant, birdlike gull wing door on either side, each of which folded up above the roof, exposing a giant opening that provided simultaneous access to the first two of the vehicle’s three rows. Brett Berk, Architectural Digest, 16 Aug. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of gull wing was in 1926

Dictionary Entries Near gull wing

Cite this Entry

“Gull wing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gull%20wing. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

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