hurtle
Americanverb (used without object)
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to rush violently; move with great speed.
The car hurtled down the highway.
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to move or go noisily or resoundingly, as with violent or rapid motion.
The sound was deafening, as tons of snow hurtled down the mountain.
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Archaic. to strike together or against something; collide.
verb (used with object)
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to drive violently; fling; dash.
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Archaic. to dash against; collide with.
noun
verb
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to project or be projected very quickly, noisily, or violently
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rare (intr) to collide or crash
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have hurtledperfect
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has hurtledperfect 3rd person singular
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has been hurtlingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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is hurtlingprogressive 3rd person singular
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hurtlessingular 3rd person
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are hurtlingprogressive
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am hurtlingprogressive 1st person singular
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hurtlingparticiple
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have been hurtlingperfect progressive
Past
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had hurtledperfect
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were hurtlingprogressive plural
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had been hurtlingperfect progressive
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hurtledsimple
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hurtledparticiple
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was hurtlingprogressive singular
Future
Etymology
Origin of hurtle
1175–1225; Middle English hurtle, equivalent to hurt ( en ) ( see hurt) + -le -le
Explanation
If you forcefully throw or fling something, you hurtle it. In a food fight, you may hurtle chocolate pudding across the room, but be prepared for someone to launch peas at you in retaliation. Duck! The verb hurtle also means to move rapidly, often with a rushing sound, and sometimes with seeming lack of control. If you are driving on wet, slippery roads at night, try not to drive fast and skid out of control — if you do, your car may seem to hurtle through the darkness! By the way, even though we can't feel it, the earth hurtles through space at approximately 67,000 miles per hour as it orbits the sun.
Vocabulary lists containing hurtle
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Hatchet
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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.
As both companies hurtle toward an IPO, the philosophical and personal differences between their leadership have metastasized.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
The accident, which saw the picture-postcard 19th-century Gloria tramway hurtle into a building after careering off the rails, shocked the Portuguese capital, laying bare fears over the safety of the popular yet ageing tourist attraction.
From Barron's • Oct. 20, 2025
The candidates, once leading characters in the American story, hurtle back into supporting roles or relative obscurity.
From Slate • Dec. 18, 2024
As we hurtle towards Mariah Carey's most lucrative holiday, families all over the UK will be pressing play on Christmas films such as Love Actually to get themselves into the festive spirit.
From BBC • Nov. 18, 2024
Well, the cable car didn’t exactly hurtle; it was more like clattering down a hill.
From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman
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.
