fling
(noun) the act of flinging
spree, fling
(noun) a brief indulgence of your impulses
crack, fling, go, pass, whirl, offer
(noun) a usually brief attempt; āhe took a crack at itā; āI gave it a whirlā
fling
(verb) throw with force or recklessness; āfling the frisbeeā
fling
(verb) move in an abrupt or headlong manner; āHe flung himself onto the sofaā
discard, fling, toss, toss out, toss away, chuck out, cast aside, dispose, throw out, cast out, throw away, cast away, put away
(verb) throw or cast away; āPut away your worriesā
splurge, fling
(verb) indulge oneself; āI splurged on a new TVā
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Fling (plural Flings)
A surname.
• According to the 2010 United States Census, Fling is the 32236th most common surname in the United States, belonging to 715 individuals. Fling is most common among White (85.03%) and Black/African American (11.19%) individuals.
fling (plural flings)
An act of throwing, often violently.
An act of moving the limbs or body with violent movements, especially in a dance.
An act or period of unrestrained indulgence.
A short casual sexual relationship.
Synonym: hookup
(figuratively) An attempt, a try (as in "give it a fling").
(obsolete) A severe or contemptuous remark; an expression of sarcastic scorn; a gibe or taunt.
A lively Scottish country dance.
(obsolete) A trifling matter; an object of contempt.
fling (third-person singular simple present flings, present participle flinging, simple past (colloquial or dialectal, nonstandard) flang or (nonstandard) flinged or flung, past participle (nonstandard) flinged or flung)
(intransitive, now, archaic) To move (oneself) abruptly or violently; to rush or dash.
(transitive) To throw with violence or quick movement; to hurl.
(intransitive, archaic) To throw; to wince; to flounce.
(intransitive, archaic) To utter abusive language; to sneer.
Source: Wiktionary
Fling, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Flung; p. pr. & vb. n. Flinging.] Etym: [OE. flingen, flengen, to rush, hurl; cf. Icel. flengia to whip, ride furiously, OSw. flenga to strike, Sw. flƤnga to romp, Dan. flenge to slash.]
1. To cast, send, to throw from the hand; to hurl; to dart; to emit with violence as if thrown from the hand; as, to fing a stone into the pond. 'T is Fate that flings the dice: and, as she flings, Of kings makes peasants, and of peasants kings. Dryden. He . . . like Jove, his lighting flung. Dryden. I know thy generous temper well. Fling but the appearance of dishonor on it, It straight takes fire. Addison.
2. To shed forth; to emit; to scatter. The sun begins to fling His flaring beams. Milton. Every beam new transient colors flings. Pope.
3. To throw; to hurl; to throw off or down; to prostrate; hence, to baffle; to defeat; as, to fling a party in litigation. His horse started, flung him, and fell upon him. Walpole.
To fling about, to throw on all sides; to scatter.
– To fling away, to reject; to discard. Cromwell, I charge thee, fling away ambition. Shak. --To fling down. (a) To throw to the ground; esp., to throw in defiance, as formerly knights cast a glove into the arena as a challenge. This question so flung down before the guests, . . . Was handed over by consent of all To me who had not spoken. Tennyson. (b) To overturn; to demolish; to ruin.
– To fling in, to throw in; not to charge in an account; as, in settling accounts, one party flings in a small sum, or a few days' work.
– To fling off, to baffle in the chase; to defeat of prey; also, to get rid of. Addison.
– To fling open, to throw open; to open suddenly or with violence; as, to fling open a door.
– To fling out, to utter; to speak in an abrupt or harsh manner; as, to fling out hard words against another.
– To fling up, to relinquish; to abandon; as, to fling up a design.
Fling, v. i.
1. To throw; to wince; to flounce; as, the horse began to kick and fling.
2. To cast in the teeth; to utter abusive language; to sneer; as, the scold began to flout and fling.
3. To throw one's self in a violent or hasty manner; to rush or spring with violence or haste. And crop-full, out of doors he flings. Milton. I flung closer to his breast, As sword that, after battle, flings to sheath. Mrs. Browning. To fling out, to become ugly and intractable; to utter sneers and insinuations.
Fling, n.
1. A cast from the hand; a throw; also, a flounce; a kick; as, the fling of a horse.
2. A severe or contemptuous remark; an expression of sarcastic scorn; a gibe; a sarcasm. I, who love to have a fling, Both at senate house and king. Swift.
3. A kind of dance; as, the Highland fling.
4. A trifing matter; an object of contempt. [Obs.] England were but a fling Save for the crooked stick and the gray goose wing. Old Proverb. To have one's fling, to enjoy one's self to the full; to have a season of dissipation. J. H. Newman. "When I was as young as you, I had my fling. I led a life of pleasure." D. Jerrold.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition
22 February 2025
(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., āthe father of the brideā instead of āthe brideās fatherā
The first coffee-house in Mecca dates back to the 1510s. The beverage was in Turkey by the 1530s. It appeared in Europe circa 1515-1519 and was introduced to England by 1650. By 1675 the country had more than 3,000 coffee houses, and coffee had replaced beer as a breakfast drink.
