hurl

[hurl]

See more synonyms for hurl on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

to throw or fling with great force or vigor.
to throw or cast down.
to utter with vehemence: to hurl insults at the umpire.

verb (used without object)

to throw a missile.
Baseball. to pitch a ball.

noun

a forcible or violent throw; fling.

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)

Related formshurl·er, nounout·hurl, verb (used with object)un·hurled, adjective

Can be confusedhurdle hurl hurtle

Synonyms for hurl

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1. cast, pitch.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for hurl

lob, fire, heave, sling, fling, propel, launch, toss, chunk, gun, send, chuck, project, cast, pitch, peg, bung

Examples from the Web for hurl

Contemporary Examples of hurl

But for true diva status, you need to hurl a phone at an assistant (Naomi Campbell).
Ariana Grande, This Is How to Be a Diva
Tim Teeman
October 21, 2014
One landlord even paid somebody to hurl a Molotov cocktail into an apartment just to smoke out tenants and jack up rents.
The Celebrity You've Never Heard Of
Moral Courage
February 17, 2014
“You demand loyalty from people, but you never show it,” he complained to the boss, prompting Ailes to hurl a water bottle at him.
Speed Read: 25 Extraordinary Roger Ailes Revelations From ‘The Loudest Voice in the Room’
Lloyd Grove
January 14, 2014
When it comes to the Syria conflict, recent developments may hurl us off the cliff.
Mideast War in Our Time?
Jamie Dettmer
May 31, 2013
The men formed a human bulldozer, forcing back agitators who sought to hurl rocks and bottles at the cops.
Cairo Salafists Say Violent Embassy Protests Are Hurting Their Cause
Mike Giglio
September 14, 2012

Historical Examples of hurl

If I hurl my assegai at another, another hurls his assegai at me, and in a measure we are quits.
The Conquest of Fear
Basil King
Then he would seize brands from the fire and hurl them into the pack.
White Fang
Jack London
But for Germany, France, England to fight, to hurl millions of men at each other!
The Cruise of the Dry Dock
T. S. Stribling
For this let us honour the kiwi, and hurl him in the face of the early risers.
The Strand Magazine, Volume V, Issue 25, January 1893
Various
They were taught to box, to wrestle, to throw the discus, and to hurl the spear.
Introductory American History
Henry Eldridge Bourne

British Dictionary definitions for hurl

hurl

verb

(tr) to throw or propel with great force
(tr) to utter with force; yellto hurl insults
(hʌrl) Scot to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle

noun

the act or an instance of hurling
(hʌrl) Scot a ride in a driven vehicle

Derived Formshurler, noun

Word Origin for hurl

C13: probably of imitative origin

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

Word Origin and History for hurl

early 13c., hurlen, "to run against (each other), come into collision," later "throw forcibly" (c.1300); "rush violently" (late 14c.); perhaps related to Low German hurreln "to throw, to dash," and East Frisian hurreln "to roar, to bluster." OED suggests all are from an imitative Germanic base *hurr "expressing rapid motion;" see also hurry. The noun is attested from late 14c., originally "rushing water." For difference between hurl and hurtle (which apparently were confused since early Middle English) see hurtle.