Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

fling

/ˈflɪŋ/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: 3.33 in modern English

Syllables: fling
IPA: /ˈflɪŋ/

9

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

1

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An act of throwing, often violently.

noun

An act of moving the limbs or body with violent movements, especially in a dance.

noun

An act or period of unrestrained indulgence, enthusiasm, or both.

noun

A short romantic, oftentimes sexual, relationship.

noun

An attempt, a try.

noun

A severe or contemptuous remark; an expression of sarcastic scorn; a gibe or taunt.

Obsolete

noun

A lively Scottish country dance.

noun

A party, especially a dance party.

Example Sentences

"the fling of a horse"
"When I was as young as you, I had my fling. I led a life of pleasure."
""I am inclined to go and have a fling with them. Why not all of us — just for a minute or two — it will not detain us long?""
"Here again steam is having its last fling, and the "dual link" drivers at Brunswick shed, Liverpool, already are alternating steam and diesel duties."
"a summer fling"
"I had a fling with a girl I met on holiday."

Etymology

From Middle English fling, from the verb (see below). Compare Icelandic flengur (“a fast sprint”).

Origin

Source language: Middle English

Word Breakdown

Root: fling, flyngen, flengja, *flangijaną, *pleh₂k-, *pel-

Usage

Inflected Forms

flings (plural) flings (present, singular) flinging (participle, present) flung (participle, past) flung (past) flang (colloquial, dialectal) flinged (nonstandard, participle) flinged (nonstandard, past)

Derived Forms

flingee flinger flingy outfling upfling

Phrases

Highland fling fling off fling out full fling trust someone as far as one could fling a bull by the tail

Synonyms

affairette dalliance hookup liaison chuck pitch bung cast chunk cook dash dump

Rhymes With

thing bring king spring ring wing sing string swing beijing singh ing

Questions

How do you pronounce fling?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈflɪŋ/.
What does fling mean?: An act of throwing, often violently.
Where does fling come from?: It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce fling

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “fling”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈflɪŋ/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “fling”.
Repeat and practice — Say “fling” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.