hurl

American  

[hurl] / hɜrl /

verb (used with object)

1. to throw or fling with great force or vigor.

   Synonyms:

   pitch, cast

2. to throw or cast down.

3. to utter with vehemence.

   to hurl insults at the umpire.

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verb (used without object)

1. to throw a missile.

2. Baseball. to pitch a ball.

noun

1. a forcible or violent throw; fling.

hurl British  

/ hɜːl /

verb

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

2. (tr) to utter with force; yell

   to hurl insults

3. to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle

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noun

1. the act or an instance of hurling

2. a ride in a driven vehicle

Other Word Forms

• hurler noun
• outhurl verb (used with object)
• unhurled adjective

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."

Example Sentences

“He would hurl himself straight as an arrow right into the great roaring grey wall of an oncoming breaker and go clean through it as if it had neither weight nor momentum.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 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

I want to hurl myself in front of one objection you’re going to get, which is: But then the Supreme Court’s going to say all of that is illegal!

From Slate • Dec. 26, 2025

As Nhamo climbed over a rock, she saw something rise from the ground and hurl itself into the lake.

From "A Girl Named Disaster" by Nancy Farmer

Related Words

• fire
• fling
• heave
• lob
• sling