hurl
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to throw a missile.
-
Baseball. to pitch a ball.
noun
verb
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(tr) to throw or propel with great force
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(tr) to utter with force; yell
to hurl insults
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to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle
noun
-
the act or an instance of hurling
-
a ride in a driven vehicle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hurlsimple
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hurlssimple
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have hurledperfect
-
has hurledperfect
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am hurlingprogressive
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are hurlingprogressive
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is hurlingprogressive
-
have been hurlingperfect progressive
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has been hurlingperfect progressive
Past
-
hurledsimple
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had hurledperfect
-
was hurlingprogressive
-
were hurlingprogressive
-
had been hurlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hurl
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)
Explanation
When you hurl something, you throw it hard. You might hurl your shoe at a horrible bug if it suddenly scuttled across the floor. If you hurl a rock at a glass window, it will probably break, and if you hurl your trash in the direction of a garbage can, it may or may not land inside. The verb hurl implies some force behind your throw. The earliest English version was hurlen, which in the thirteenth century meant "run against each other or collide." It probably comes from the Germanic root hurr, which is also the root of hurry, and means "rapid motion."
Vocabulary lists containing hurl
"The Treasure of Lemon Brown"
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"My Wonder Horse," Vocabulary from the short story
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"Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
I will admit, at times I wanted to hurl my laptop into the Pacific.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 3, 2026
Moments later his epic 54-yard hurl to Marvin Mims Jr paid off spectacularly, caught deep downfield.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
This rapid rearrangement can heat plasma to millions of degrees and hurl energized particles away from the site, creating a solar flare.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 21, 2026
Pointing a finger at whoever dared openly question or criticise, he would sometimes lose his countenance and hurl insults.
From BBC ● Feb. 8, 2025
One moment of carelessness—a glance down at a watch, a look toward the back of the train at the wrong time—and the branches will hurl them into the air.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
The reason anyone who hurls themselves off a mountain for a living might perform such a procedure is a matter of aerodynamics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
These intimacy issues are compressed as tightly as a packed snowball, and I wanted to address them before that icy sphere hurls my way, potentially hitting me smack in the face.
From Salon ● Jan. 4, 2025
As usual, Anderson hurls his characters into a collective crisis that gives rise to individual bursts of resistance and reconciliation.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2023
But if Mr. Macron doesn’t bend, he risks cementing his image as “Jupiter,” who hurls down orders from above and takes counsel from few, analysts say.
From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2023
She winds up Like a pitcher And hurls a pomegranate.
From "Neighborhood Odes" by Gary Soto
His aerial ability was needed as Mexico hurled crosses into England's penalty area.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
A little: Those who haven’t read the first 4 will open “The End of the Arab of the Future” and find themselves hurled directly into an unfolding family emergency: Vol.
From Salon ● Jun. 27, 2026
But as he hurled his partner high above the ice, he was thrown off balance by grammar and umlauts.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 17, 2026
Disgusted, McGrath hurled his poles over the safety netting that lined the Stelvio piste, with nearby Swiss team members embracing each other in celebration.
From Barron's ● Feb. 16, 2026
And without thinking, I hurled the rock over the high wooden fence at the back of the yard.
From "Courage to Soar" by Simone Biles
Since then, restaurant chains have been hurling discounts and deals at consumers to win them back.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
His first was pure Haaland, the game’s best finisher hurling his big lower body into the net for a violent scoring strike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
President Trump is known for hurling scathing insults at world leaders.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 30, 2026
When hurling down the ball with a wobbling seam rather than looking to hoop it, some deliveries jag unpredictably off the surface after pitching.
From BBC ● Jan. 1, 2026
Their heads drew into a clump, watching us, then they broke and rushed toward us, hurling water with their hands.
From "The Sound and the Fury" by William Faulkner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
