fling
fling — verb
1. to use sudden, forceful motion to make something or someone travel through the a
to use sudden, forceful motion to make something or someone travel through the air or land somewhere — often driven by anger, excitement, or impatience; for instance, flinging your coat onto a chair when you arrive home in a bad mood.
Feng flung his backpack onto the sofa the moment he came home.
fling + noun + onto + location
The protester flung a plastic bottle at the police van during the rally.
Ari flung the broken chair out of the second-floor window after the renovation.
fling + noun + out of + location
Nila flung her school books across the desk in frustration.
A strong gust of wind flung the garden gate open with a loud bang.
passive-like: wind + fling + object + adjective complement
- fling a door open
- fling a bag onto
- fling a ball at
- fling something across
- fling something out of
Grammar Patterns
fling + noun phrase + prepositional phrase
fling + noun phrase + adverb
Usage Note
Commonly followed by a prepositional phrase showing direction of the throw — onto, into, out of, at, across, over. The transitive object is the thing being thrown.
Common Mistakes
2. to move your whole body, an arm or leg, or something you are holding, with a sud
to move your whole body, an arm or leg, or something you are holding, with a sudden burst of energy — for example, flinging yourself onto a sofa after a long day, or flinging open a window to let fresh air in.
After a ten-kilometre hike, Asher flung himself onto the hotel bed.
fling + yourself + onto [surface]
Femi flung open the curtains and let bright sunlight fill the living room.
fling + open + noun (curtains/window/door)
The children flung themselves into the swimming pool with a huge splash.
Gabriela flung the door shut when she heard the bad news on the phone.
Baraka flung his arms around his grandmother when she stepped off the train.
fling + body part + prepositional phrase
- fling yourself into
- fling open
- fling shut
- fling your arms around
- fling a door
- throw yourself
similar meaning but fling suggests more urgency
- rush
focuses on speed; fling adds physical motion of the body
- hurl yourself
very similar, but hurl can sound more violent
Grammar Patterns
fling + yourself + prepositional phrase
fling + open/shut
fling + body part + prepositional phrase
Usage Note
Frequently used with a reflexive pronoun (fling yourself) or with an open/shut complement after a door, window, or curtain. The movement is always abrupt and energetic, never slow or careful.
Common Mistakes
3. to utter words in a sudden, angry, or aggressive manner — for example, flinging
to utter words in a sudden, angry, or aggressive manner — for example, flinging an accusation at a colleague during an argument, or flinging a rude remark at a stranger.
I do not care what you think! Christopher flung at his sister across the table.
fling + direct speech + at + person
During the team meeting, Nikos flung angry accusations at his manager.
fling + noun phrase + at + person
You are always late! Walid flung at his friend before walking away angrily.
Ezra flung a sarcastic comment at the waiter when the order arrived wrong.
- fling an accusation at
- fling insults at
- fling a remark at
- fling comments at
- retort
a quick, sharp reply; fling is more aggressive and less controlled
- hurl
overlapping meaning — hurl insults, hurl accusations; very similar register
- shoot back
informal; suggests speed but not necessarily anger
Grammar Patterns
fling + speech + at + person
fling + noun phrase + at + person
Usage Note
The object is typically spoken content — accusations, insults, remarks, questions, or comments. The speech or words are always directed at a person via the preposition at.
Common Mistakes
fling yourself into something
phrasal verbto start doing an activity or project with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
After retiring, Gabriela flung herself into volunteer work at the local library.
Walid flung himself into learning Mandarin before his transfer to Taipei.
fling something aside
phrasal verbto push or move something away with a sudden motion, often because you no longer want or need it.
Romi flung aside the old curtains and measured the windows for new ones.
The mechanic flung aside the broken part and reached for a fresh one.
fling something off
phrasal verbto remove a piece of clothing quickly and carelessly, usually in a hurry.
Asher flung off his wet coat as soon as he stepped through the front door.
Baraka flung off his tie and changed into a T-shirt after the formal dinner.
fling off
phrasal verbTo quickly remove a piece of clothing or something you are holding.
Maya flung off her wet coat as soon as she entered.
He flung off the blanket and jumped out of bed.
fling on
phrasal verbTo put on a piece of clothing quickly and carelessly.
Sara flung on a jacket and ran out the door.
He flung on his hat without looking in the mirror.
fling out
phrasal verbTo throw something away or get rid of it, often with force.
Diego flung out the old newspapers from the garage.
She flung out her arm to point at the bird.
fling yourself at
phrasal verbTo try very hard to get someone's romantic attention, often in an obvious way.
Min flung herself at the new student on the first day.
He flung himself at her, but she wasn't interested.
fling yourself into
phrasal verbTo start doing an activity with a lot of energy and enthusiasm.
Aiden flung himself into learning Spanish before his trip.
She flung herself into the project and finished it early.
to stop being careful or sensible and do something bold or risky, accepting whatever may happen.
Ari flung caution to the wind and quit his job to cycle across South America.
During the carnival, Nila flung caution to the wind and danced in the street until midnight.
to unkindly remind someone of something they have done wrong or are ashamed of, especially during an argument.
Femi kept flinging his brother's past mistakes in his face throughout the heated argument.
It is not fair to fling a person's old failures in their face years later.
fling — noun
1. a limited stretch of time in which you let yourself do whatever you enjoy, witho
a limited stretch of time in which you let yourself do whatever you enjoy, without thinking about rules, duties, or consequences — for instance, travelling freely before starting a new job, or going out every night during a holiday.
Before starting her new job, Romi had a final fling travelling around Japan.
have a final fling + gerund
The music festival was a weekend fling before everyone went back to real life.
Dewi enjoyed a two-week fling of surfing and beach life before her new job began.
a two-week fling of + noun phrase
Feng treated the road trip as a summer fling before beginning graduate school.
The twins decided to have one last fling at the beach before exams started.
have one last fling
- have a fling
- a last fling
- a summer fling
- a weekend fling
- a final fling
- commitment
a long-term responsibility, opposite of a brief fling
- routine
regular daily life, opposite of a special fling
Grammar Patterns
have a fling
a last fling
a summer fling
Usage Note
Most often appears in the phrase have a fling. A fling is always temporary — it lasts days or weeks, not months or years. Can also refer to a short romantic relationship that is not serious, though the broader meaning of self-indulgent enjoyment is more common.
Common Mistakes
2. a short, usually casual attempt to do or try something new, without a deep or se
a short, usually casual attempt to do or try something new, without a deep or serious commitment — for example, trying your hand at writing poetry for a few weeks, or attempting a new hobby for a short time.
Ezra had a brief fling at learning Japanese but gave up after two months.
have a fling at + gerund
The company had a brief fling at the European market before pulling out.
Nila took a fling at writing short stories during her long train commute.
take a fling at + gerund
His fling at professional cycling ended when he injured his knee in a race.
- have a fling at
- take a fling at
- a fling at writing
- a fling at the market
Grammar Patterns
have/take a fling at + noun/gerund
Usage Note
Distinguish from noun/sense 1 (BRIEF ENJOYMENT): sense 2 focuses on trying something new or light-hearted, not necessarily on enjoyment or indulgence. The object of the attempt often follows the preposition at.
Common Mistakes
Word family
- flungverbB2
- flingernounC1
Synonym discussion
Sense: verb/1
Throw is the broadest, most neutral word for sending something through the air using your hand — you can throw a ball, a coat, or rubbish, gently or hard. Hurl adds greater force and often anger; you hurl something when you want it to travel a long distance or hit something hard. Toss is the opposite in spirit — light, casual, often underhand, with little force, like tossing keys to a friend or tossing a coin. Chuck is informal British and American English, suggesting careless, offhand throwing, as in chucking an old newspaper into the bin. Fling sits between throw and hurl: it matches hurl in force but adds the element of sudden, impulsive emotion. You fling something when you are agitated, excited, or impatient — the motion is quick, uncontrolled, and driven by feeling rather than aim. For example: Christina tossed her wallet onto the table (routine, no emotion) versus Christina flung her wallet across the table (angry, dramatic).
Common collocations
Etymology
Fling comes from the Old Norse word flengja, meaning 'to whip' or 'to flog'. In Middle English, around the 13th century, it shifted to mean 'to move violently or rush', and by the 16th century it had developed the core meaning of throwing with force. The noun senses emerged later: the 'brief enjoyment' meaning appeared in the early 19th century, likely from the idea of 'throwing yourself into pleasure' without restraint.