fling
Americanverb (used with object)
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flings,
present (3rd person singular)
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flung,
past participle, past
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flinging
present participle
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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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flings,
present (3rd person singular)
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flung,
past participle, past
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flinging
present participle
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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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flings
plural
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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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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flingsimple
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flingssimple
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have flungperfect
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has flungperfect
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am flingingprogressive
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are flingingprogressive
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is flingingprogressive
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have been flingingperfect progressive
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has been flingingperfect progressive
Past
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flungsimple
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had flungperfect
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was flingingprogressive
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were flingingprogressive
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had been flingingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fling
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English; compare Swedish flänga “to fly, race”
Explanation
To fling is to throw something with force. You'll start a food fight in the cafeteria if you fling your vegetables at the kid across the table. The act of throwing something recklessly or with force can also be called a fling. Your mail sorting ritual might be putting bills in one pile and personal letters in another, then giving junk mail a fling into the recycling bin. A brief period of revelry or indulgence is another kind of fling. You and your friends could plan a weekend fling in New York, staying in a hotel, eating out, and shopping without worrying about how much money you spend.
Vocabulary lists containing fling
Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
In this zone, the combined gravitational effects of the two stars either fling planets out of the system or pull them inward until they are destroyed.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 19, 2026
"They will get out, but not like people think. It's not as if they're going to fling the doors open like a bull run."
From Barron's ● Jan. 10, 2026
Smith tried to drag a pull around the corner only for Jacks, at backward square leg, to fling himself to his right and cling on with his right hand.
From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025
Thanks to a Dolby Creator Lab Grant, Stern was able to work with Wild to shape a purposefully incoherent soundscape, using Dolby Atmos to fling sounds all around.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 4, 2025
I fling the bag from me, toward the trench and barbed wire.
From "Without Refuge" by Jane Mitchell
She claims to inhabit the soul of Albert Camus, and flings around aphorisms about art that fly over Cricket’s head.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 8, 2026
The average teenager has never left the country or experienced heartbreak any more acute than the burn of their first breakup, soon to be forgotten by a multitude of other casual flings and serious partners.
From Salon ● May 30, 2026
The drama approaches dark farce as Madame flings around her bedroom in a frenzy of dressing and primping.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 28, 2026
The senior Trudeau had a couple of famous flings of his own with American singer Barbra Streisand and Canadian actress Kim Cattrall of Sex and the City fame.
From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2025
Mami flings the card to the floor as if it’s contaminated.
From "Before We Were Free" by Julia Alvarez
Dozens of Khan supporters gathered near the private hospital, while others flung handfuls of red flower petals at passing cars.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
"Hearts just look as if it's just a new squad flung in together, with the manager too, trying to find their way," Stevenson said.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
In it, a black SUV is pointed toward a white van, its door flung open.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026
During the final round of the PGA Championship in 2025, he angrily flung his driver near a volunteer so hard that it damaged a sign and snapped the head off the club’s shaft.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
He stuffed the sack to the brim and then staggered out of the room with the bulging sack flung over his shoulder.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
For as long as index funds have existed, they’ve been under attack from competitors flinging one flimsy pretext after another.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 13, 2026
Tunisia midfielder Hannibal Mejbri was luckly to escape a yellow card for dissent after reacting angrily when a Nigerian took a foul throw, flinging the ball into the ground.
From Barron's ● Dec. 27, 2025
On paper, Greene has a lot going for her a Trump’s heir apparent, and she likely will get checkbooks flinging open.
From Salon ● Oct. 6, 2025
By flinging its doors open wider than ever before, the tournament would be more inclusive and the change would probably result in a host of nations reaching the World Cup for the first time.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2025
“AM I UP FOR IT?” she yells, flinging her arms around me.
From "Leah on the Offbeat" by Becky Albertalli
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.
