wing flapping

Bird's flight motion

Wing flapping is the repeated up-and-down motion birds and other flying creatures make with their wings to generate lift and propulsion.

The term describes both the physical action and the sound it produces.

Figuratively, it can dismiss ineffective activity that creates commotion without accomplishing anything: All that wing flapping at the meeting produced no actual decisions.

Related

bird · feathered friend · beating · flight · swooping · aerial · thrust · lift · air current · airborne · hummingbird · migration · takeoff · downy · plumage · whoosh · breeze · graceful

Categories
Opposites
flight locomotion method

wing flappinggliding

Engineless aerial movement

soaring · coasting · sailing · floating · hovering

energy expenditure in flight

wing flappingdrifting

Moving without purpose

Family

wing, flap, wings, winged, winging, wingless, wingspan, flaps, flapped

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G