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hurtle

[hur-tl]
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verb (used without object), hur·tled, hur·tling.
  1. to rush violently; move with great speed: The car hurtled down the highway.
  2. 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.
  3. Archaic. to strike together or against something; collide.
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verb (used with object), hur·tled, hur·tling.
  1. to drive violently; fling; dash.
  2. Archaic. to dash against; collide with.
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noun
  1. Archaic. clash; collision; shock; clatter.
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Origin of hurtle

1175–1225; Middle English hurtle, equivalent to hurt(en) (see hurt) + -le -le
Can be confusedhurdle hurl hurtle

Synonyms

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1. speed, fly, race, rush, shoot.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

lungescootcollideshootflyrushbumptearracepushspurtspeedscramble

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British Dictionary definitions for hurtle

hurtle

verb
  1. to project or be projected very quickly, noisily, or violently
  2. (intr) rare to collide or crash
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Word Origin

C13 hurtlen, from hurten to strike; see hurt 1
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 hurtle

v.

early 14c., hurteln, "to crash together; to crash down, knock down," probably frequentative of hurten (see hurt (v.)) in its original sense. Intransitive meaning "to rush, dash, charge" is late 14c. The essential notion in hurtle is that of forcible collision, in hurl that of forcible projection. Related: Hurtled; hurtling.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper