hurl

[ hurl ]
See synonyms for: hurlhurlinghurler on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to throw or fling with great force or vigor.

  2. to throw or cast down.

  1. to utter with vehemence: to hurl insults at the umpire.

verb (used without object)
  1. to throw a missile.

  2. Baseball. to pitch a ball.

noun
  1. a forcible or violent throw; fling.

Origin of hurl

1
1175–1225; Middle English hurlen, equivalent to hur- (perhaps akin to hurry) + -len-le; akin to Low German hurreln to toss, Frisian hurreln to roar (said of the wind), dialectal German hurlen to roll, rumble (said of thunder)

Other words for hurl

Other words from hurl

  • hurler, noun
  • outhurl, verb (used with object)
  • un·hurled, adjective

Words that may be confused with hurl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hurl in a sentence

  • I raised my pipe above my head and hurled it against the fence, where it crashed into a score of pieces.

  • But before he reached it there was the shriek of a whistle, a violent shock, and he was hurled heavily into the opposite seat.

    Uncanny Tales | Various
  • With a desperate effort of the will he hurled himself out of the bath and threw open the window.

    Uncanny Tales | Various
  • The Olympia hurled about 70 5-inch shells and 16 8-inch shells, and the Petrel and the Raleigh about the same number each.

    The Philippine Islands | John Foreman
  • Matt, clinging like grim death to the stout hemp, was jerked into the air and hurled forward and inward.

    Motor Matt's "Century" Run | Stanley R. Matthews

British Dictionary definitions for hurl

hurl

/ (hɜːl) /


verb
  1. (tr) to throw or propel with great force

  2. (tr) to utter with force; yell: to hurl insults

  1. (hʌrl) Scot to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle

noun
  1. the act or an instance of hurling

  2. (hʌrl) Scot a ride in a driven vehicle

Origin of hurl

1
C13: probably of imitative origin

Derived forms of hurl

  • hurler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012