fling
Americanverb (used with object)
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to throw, cast, or hurl with force or violence.
to fling a stone.
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to move (oneself ) violently with impatience, contempt, or the like.
She flung herself angrily from the room.
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to put suddenly or violently.
to fling a suspect into jail.
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to project or speak sharply, curtly, or forcefully.
He flung his answer at the questioner.
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to involve (oneself ) vigorously in an undertaking.
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to move, do, or say (something) quickly.
to fling a greeting in passing.
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to send suddenly and rapidly.
to fling fresh troops into a battle.
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to throw aside or off.
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to throw to the ground, as in wrestling or horseback riding.
verb (used without object)
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to move with haste or violence; rush; dash.
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to fly into violent and irregular motions, as a horse; throw the body about, as a person.
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to speak harshly or abusively (usually followed byout ).
He flung out disgustedly against the whole human race.
noun
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an act of flinging.
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a short period of unrestrained pursuit of one's wishes or desires.
The week of partying was my last fling before starting a new job.
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an attempt at something.
He took a fling at playwriting.
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a critical or contemptuous remark; gibe.
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Also called Highland fling. a lively Scottish dance characterized by flinging movements of the arms and legs.
verb
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to throw, esp with force or abandon; hurl or toss
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to put or send without warning or preparation
to fling someone into jail
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(also intr) to move (oneself or a part of the body) with abandon or speed
he flung himself into a chair
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(usually foll by into) to apply (oneself) diligently and with vigour (to)
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to cast aside; disregard
she flung away her scruples
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to utter violently or offensively
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poetic to give out; emit
noun
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the act or an instance of flinging; toss; throw
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a period or occasion of unrestrained, impulsive, or extravagant behaviour
to have a fling
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any of various vigorous Scottish reels full of leaps and turns, such as the Highland fling
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a trial; try
to have a fling at something different
Other Word Forms
- flinger noun
- outfling verb (used with object)
Etymology
Origin of fling
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; compare Swedish flänga “to fly, race”
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.
"I want to demonstrate that I can make serious points by flinging a custard pie around the stage for a couple of hours," the Czech-born Stoppard said in a 1970s interview.
From Barron's
Now she can fling armored vehicles, leap atop large buildings and bend the toughest of minds with a minimal nosebleed.
From Los Angeles Times
The divide between the Upside Down and Hawkins is flung open as fields of flowers wilt, clouds turn black and bright red flashes of lightning fill the sky.
From BBC
He flings his lunch against the wall, shattering a piece of Nancy Reagan’s china and leaving a trail of ketchup and hamburger grease on the wallpaper and faux gilt sconce recently procured from Home Depot.
From Salon
Adrienne Vaughan, 45, the head of the US branch of Bloomsbury publishing house, died after she was flung from the motorboat in the holiday hotspot in southern Italy in August 2023.
From Barron's
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.
