To wave or shake something (e.g. a hand, a flag); to swing or move back and forth.
駅で友達に手を振って別れた。
I waved goodbye to my friend at the station.
彼は頭を振って違いを示した。
He shook his head to indicate disagreement.
応援団が大きな旗を振っていた。
The cheering squad was waving large flags.
To sprinkle (e.g. salt, powder) over something; also to throw or shake dice.
料理の仕上げに塩を少し振ってください。
Please sprinkle a little salt as a finishing touch to the dish.
パスタに黒コショウを振ると風味が増す。
Sprinkling black pepper on pasta enhances the flavor.
ゲームはサイコロを振って進める。
The game progresses by rolling the dice.
To assign a role or task to someone; to cast an actor in a part.
監督は彼に主役を振った。
The director cast him in the lead role.
上司は会議の資料作成を田中さんに振った。
The boss assigned the task of preparing the meeting materials to Tanaka.
新人に重要な仕事を振るのは慎重に行うべきだ。
One should be careful when assigning important work to a newcomer.
To reject or turn someone down (romantically); to jilt or dump someone.
田中さんは彼女に振られて落ち込んでいる。
Tanaka is feeling down after being dumped by his girlfriend.
彼女を振るのは簡単な決断ではない。
Dumping someone is not an easy decision.
誘いを振る（断る）のは気まずい場面が多い。
Turning down an invitation often leads to awkward situations.
Used (often stylistically or in idioms) to mean abandoning, giving up, or ruining something (somewhat old-fashioned or idiomatic).
彼は家業を振って都会へ出て行った（やや文語的）。
He abandoned the family business and went to the city (somewhat literary).
To add kana that indicate the reading of kanji (i.e., attach furigana or ruby to characters).
児童向けの本は難しい漢字にふりがなを振っている。
Children's books add furigana to difficult kanji.
名前の読みがわからない漢字にはルビを振ってください。
Please add ruby (kana) to kanji whose readings are unknown.
To change headings slightly; to alter direction (e.g., shifting a heading or swinging a rudder).
司会は話題の振り方を少し変えて場を和ませた。
The host slightly shifted the direction of the topic to ease the mood.
船長は舵を大きく振って港へ入った。
The captain swung the rudder and steered into the harbor.
To decoct or extract ingredients by boiling/broiling (used in specialist or older contexts).
その生薬は水で振って煎じると効果が出ると言われる（専門的）。
That herb is said to be effective when decocted by simmering in water (specialist usage).
To carry (e.g., a portable shrine) vigorously, shaking or moving it with energy (as in festivals).
祭りの日、若者たちは神輿を高く振って威勢を示した。
On the festival day, the young men shook the mikoshi high to show their spirit.
To bring up a topic; to lead a conversation toward a particular subject.
彼が映画の話題を振ったので、会話が盛り上がった。
He brought up movies as a topic, and the conversation livened up.
初対面では重い話題を振るのは避けたほうがいい。
It's better to avoid bringing up heavy topics when meeting someone for the first time.
議長が次の議題を振って会議を進めた。
The chair introduced the next agenda item and moved the meeting forward.
To replace or substitute one thing with another (used for swapping or reassigning people/things).
欠員は山田さんで振ることに決めた。
It was decided to fill the vacant position with Mr. Yamada.
古い部品を新しいもので振って問題を解決した。
They solved the problem by replacing the old parts with new ones.
To set up a joke for someone else (e.g., in manzai comedy); to give a comedic opening for another to react to.
彼はいつも相方にボケを振って笑いを取る。
He always sets up the jokes so his partner can get the laughs.
漫才での振りが上手だとボケが引き立つ。
When the setup in manzai is good, the funny lines stand out more.