I. sling 1 /slɪŋ/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle slung /slʌŋ/) [transitive]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Origin: Probably from Old Norse slyngva 'to throw violently' ]
1 . to throw or put something somewhere with a careless movement and some force SYN chuck :
Lou slung his suitcase onto the bed.
sling somebody something
Sling me the keys.
Pete slung his bag over his shoulder.
2 . [always + adverb/preposition] informal to make someone leave or go to a place
sling somebody into/out of something
Sam was slung into jail for punching a cop.
3 . [usually passive] to hang something loosely:
Dave wore a tool belt slung around his waist.
4 . sling your hook British English informal used to tell someone to go away
II. sling 2 BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Date: 1300-1400 ; Origin: Perhaps from Middle Low German slinge ]
1 . a piece of cloth tied around your neck to support an injured arm or hand
in a sling
She had her arm in a sling.
2 . a set of ropes or strong pieces of cloth that are used to lift and carry heavy objects
3 . a special type of bag that fastens over your shoulders, in which you can carry a baby close to your body
4 . a piece of rope with a piece of leather in the middle, used in past times as a weapon for throwing stones
5 . slings and arrows written problems or criticisms:
We’ve all suffered the slings and arrows of day-to-day living.