1
as in sprees
a time or instance of carefree fun
most families spend Labor Day weekend having one last summer fling
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
3
as in affairs
a brief romantic relationship
an ill-advised fling with a coworker
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in throws
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm
flinging rocks into the pond just for the fun of it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of flings
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 2026
Skarsgård played one of Donna’s former flings, Bill, in both films.
—Brian Anthony Hernandez, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026
My obsessions are relatively fleeting, resulting in a series of torrid flings over the decades.
—Loz Blain
january 15, New Atlas, 15 Jan. 2026
After losing both her job and boyfriend, Jamie retreats to her small Texas hometown, where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Dec. 2025
With the addition of some younger flings (Jameela Jamil and Pierson Fode), chaos ensues and nothing goes to plan.
—Rachel Choy, Refinery29, 1 Dec. 2025
From brief flings to everlasting love, some celebrities and their professional partners have taken their ballroom passion into the real world.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Nov. 2025
The book also delves into Robertson’s personal life, chronicling his flings with several actresses, including Jennifer O’Neill, Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold, and French thespian Carole Bouquet.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
Lots of shows have car bombings and kidnappings, and at least a handful have women straining against the tension of their romantic lives and career ambitions while conducting their extramarital flings on the floor.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Over-the-top features—like the catapult that flings massive amounts of human excrement into the Burgher realm—only undermine his laudable intentions.
—Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
There also were nights at the Playboy mansion and flings with men while high.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Noun
The haphazard plot twists itself into knots to include Jeremy Pope’s unfortunately eponymous character, before moving on to far shorter flings with equally monotonous cast members.
—Ben Travers, IndieWire, 21 Jan. 2026
Skarsgård played one of Donna’s former flings, Bill, in both films.
—Brian Anthony Hernandez, PEOPLE, 17 Jan. 2026
My obsessions are relatively fleeting, resulting in a series of torrid flings over the decades.
—Loz Blain
january 15, New Atlas, 15 Jan. 2026
After losing both her job and boyfriend, Jamie retreats to her small Texas hometown, where friends and flings from a fateful high school summer turn her life upside down.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 10 Dec. 2025
With the addition of some younger flings (Jameela Jamil and Pierson Fode), chaos ensues and nothing goes to plan.
—Rachel Choy, Refinery29, 1 Dec. 2025
From brief flings to everlasting love, some celebrities and their professional partners have taken their ballroom passion into the real world.
—Allison Degrushe, Entertainment Weekly, 26 Nov. 2025
The book also delves into Robertson’s personal life, chronicling his flings with several actresses, including Jennifer O’Neill, Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold, and French thespian Carole Bouquet.
—David Browne, Rolling Stone, 2 Nov. 2025
Lots of shows have car bombings and kidnappings, and at least a handful have women straining against the tension of their romantic lives and career ambitions while conducting their extramarital flings on the floor.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Supermassive black holes are notoriously messy eaters, but the behemoth at the heart of spiral galaxy NGC 3783 really takes the cake — and then flings it out into space at a fifth the speed of light.
—Kiona N. Smith, Space.com, 9 Dec. 2025
Over-the-top features—like the catapult that flings massive amounts of human excrement into the Burgher realm—only undermine his laudable intentions.
—Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025
There also were nights at the Playboy mansion and flings with men while high.
—Martha Ross, Mercury News, 10 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for flings
Noun
-
And already he’s produced a handful of historically significant scoring sprees, including joining Wilt Chamberlain as the only other player to score 200 or more points through the first five games of a season.—
Mirjam Swanson,
Oc Register,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Because electricity demand held roughly flat for almost two decades, such growth sprees were hard to justify for years.—
Jordan Blum,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His scoring has dipped since conference play began, with only three double-digit games in eight tries.—
Tony Catalina,
Austin American Statesman,
30 Jan. 2026
-
All 22 point-after-touchdown tries made.—
Dan Wiederer,
New York Times,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Guthrie was the legal affairs correspondent based in Washington, DC for Court TV from 2006 to 2007, according to NBC.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The chief intergovernmental affairs and chief health officer roles are vacant.—
Alice Yin,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Societal pressure can be heavy for most women, especially Black women, to stay strong and keep moving, regardless of the obstacles that life throws at you, and Vette felt that weight in real time.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Chivilli averages 97 mph with his fastball and also throws an excellent changeup.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In the film, Sandler compares listening to the bits — an elderly Jew talking about his romps through history — to hearing his own Jewish uncles talk in Florida.—
Stephen Silver,
Sun Sentinel,
27 Jan. 2026
-
From lush historical tales to rom-com romps, there's something for everyone in our favorite summer 2025 romance novels.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Santos let 13 shot attempts fly, including 1-of-6 from behind the arc.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Bane specifically has seen a decrease in long-range accuracy and number of open attempts as well, something Carter mentioned.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The payoff was particularly good because the writers gave us the push-and-pull that defines all great TV romances.—
Sam Reed,
Glamour,
29 Jan. 2026
-
While promoting her new tumultuous love story onscreen, Margot Robbie paid homage to one of Hollywood’s most passionate romances.—
Nicole Hoey,
Robb Report,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Cannon hurls a last plate against the wall.—
E. Tammy Kim,
New Yorker,
17 Dec. 2025
-
Her son then gets to realize his dream of not going to college and becoming a firefighter after Kate, who has been on him for the duration of the film to write his college essay, begins reading his college essay and hurls it into the fire.—
Rachel Handler,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Flings.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/flings. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
