fling

verb \ ˈfliŋ \

|Updated on: 10 Jul 2018

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Examples: fling in a Sentence

Definition of fling

flung play \ˈfləŋ\; flinging play \ˈfliŋ-iŋ\

intransitive verb

1 : to move in a brusque or headlong manner

flung out of the room in a rage

2 of an animal : to kick or plunge vigorously

3 Scotland : caper

transitive verb

1 a : to throw forcefully, impetuously, or casually

flung herself down on the sofa

clothes were flung on the floor

b : to cast as if by throwing

flung off all restraint

2 : to place or send suddenly and unceremoniously (see unceremonious 2)

was arrested and flung into prison

3 : to give unrestrainedly

flung himself into music

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flinger

play \ˈfliŋ-ər\ noun

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Examples of fling in a Sentence

He flung his shoe across the room.
She flung the door open and stormed into the room.
They flung their hats into the air.
She flung herself into his arms.
He flung his arms around her.
I flung back my head and laughed.
He leaned back and flung his leg over the arm of the chair.
She flung herself onto the couch.

Recent Examples of fling from the Web

Gauteng's Department of Health is investigating a June 24 crash that occurred west of Johannesburg where three people were flung from a vehicle and two were killed, according to local news source News24.

— joel shannon, USA TODAY, "Woman, declared dead, found alive in morgue freezer," 3 July 2018
Coombs, 30, flung aside his stick and stormed a few yards away, breathing heavily.

— NBC News, "Best advice to U.S. dairy farmers? 'Sell out as fast as you can'," 30 June 2018
People trying to climb onto the ladder can’t get a handhold; people on the ladder’s bottom rungs get flung off by people nearer the top.

— adam rogers, WIRED, "Big Tech Isn’t the Problem With Homelessness. It’s All of Us," 21 June 2018
As in a Chekhov play, that riding crop will reappear much later, flung impetuously away upon the ground.

— dan hofstadter, WSJ, "Longing, Violence and Social Rank," 25 May 2018
The vehicle hit the bike head on, and the riders were flung into the air.

— Washington Post, "Pakistan blocks departure of U.S. diplomat accused in car accident," 13 May 2018
Eventually those bodies collided and flung material out into space.

— jason daley, Smithsonian, "Diamonds Trapped in Strange Meteorite Came From Solar System’s Earliest Planets," 19 Apr. 2018
Enrique Hernandez spiked his helmet and flung his gear into the dirt.

— andy mccullough, latimes.com, "Dodgers have no answer for pitcher Patrick Corbin in 3-0 loss to the Diamondbacks," 5 Apr. 2018
Meanwhile, ever more bikes are strewn onto the streets, and many end up flung into trash heaps.

— Time, "The Trouble with Sharing: China's Bike Fever Has Reached Saturation Point," 2 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of fling

Middle English, perhaps of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Norse flengja to whip

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

fling Synonyms

Synonyms

cast, catapult, chuck, dash, fire, heave, hurl, hurtle, launch, lob, loft, peg, pelt, pitch, sling, throw, toss;

Related Words

bowl, dart, flip, gun, hook, pass, roll, shoot;

buck, eject, impel, precipitate, project, propel, rifle, thrust;

Phrases

let fly;

Synonym Discussion of fling

throw, cast, toss, fling, hurl, pitch, sling mean to cause to move swiftly through space by a propulsive movement or a propelling force. throw is general and interchangeable with the other terms but may specifically imply a distinctive motion with bent arm.