fling

verb \ ˈfliŋ \

Updated on: 15 May 2018

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

See fling defined for English-language learners

See fling defined for kids

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

Later, at the seashore, the girl flings stones into the water beneath a starry sky.

— meghan cox gurdon, WSJ, "Of Brave Children Everywhere," 4 May 2018
The prisoners ditched their orange jumpsuits, flung blankets over the razor wire fence, and busted out.

— michelle weber, Longreads, "Goodness, How Delicious, Eating Goober Peas," 2 May 2018
Each one of them cursed and flung himself as far away as possible.

— daniel langhorne, latimes.com, "Costa Mesa veteran writes memoir on contributions of the Navy's Seabees," 22 Mar. 2018
Bayley also revealed Royal Caribbean is planning more Perfect Day private island getaways to debut over the coming years in destinations as far-flung as Asia and Australia.

— gene sloan, USA TODAY, "Royal Caribbean plans massive overhaul of private island CocoCay," 14 Mar. 2018
Sudfeld takes one final knee and flings the ball joyously into the stands.

— ed barkowitz, Philly.com, "Eagles-Vikings: Timeline of the NFC championship game," 21 Jan. 2018
But with the discovery of other species with pretty wide genetic compatibility, the doors were flung open and new forms started to flood the market.

— paul cappiello, The Courier-Journal, "This is the superhero of your garden. But, it's not what you'd expect," 20 Apr. 2018
Then, giant curtains are flung over it, completely obscuring the baker's dozen of audience members.

— hanna krueger, NOLA.com, "Louisiana toddler brought to hospital with bruises and burns dies: report," 18 Apr. 2018
Harris stepped from the mound, flung his glove down instinctively, and touched it.

— chandler rome, Houston Chronicle, "Astros blow 5-run lead, lose to Rangers in 10 innings," 14 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.