hurl

verb

\ ˈhər(-ə)l

hurled; hurling\ ˈhər-liŋ

Definition of hurl

intransitive verb

1 : rush, hurtle

2 : pitch sense 5a

3 : vomit

transitive verb

1 : to send or thrust with great vigor the forces that were to be hurled against the Turks— N. T. Gilroy

2 : to throw down with violence

3a : to throw forcefully : fling hurled the manuscript into the fire hurled myself over the fence

b : pitch sense 2a

4 : to utter with vehemence hurled insults at the police

Other Words from hurl Synonyms Choose the Right Synonym More Example Sentences Learn More about hurl

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Choose the Right Synonym for hurl

throw, cast, toss, fling, hurl, pitch, sling mean to cause to move swiftly through space by a propulsive movement or a propelling force. throw is general and interchangeable with the other terms but may specifically imply a distinctive motion with bent arm. can throw a fastball and a curve cast usually implies lightness in the thing thrown and sometimes a scattering. cast it to the winds toss suggests a light or careless or aimless throwing and may imply an upward motion. tossed the coat on the bed fling stresses a violent throwing. flung the ring back in his face hurl implies power as in throwing a massive weight. hurled himself at the intruder pitch suggests throwing carefully at a target. pitch horseshoes sling stresses either the use of whirling momentum in throwing or directness of aim. slung the bag over his shoulder

Examples of hurl in a Sentence

Someone hurled a rock through the window. He hurled a chair at me. It looked like she was going to hurl herself down the stairs. The protesters hurled insults at us.

Recent Examples on the Web

The president will undoubtedly make hundreds more campaign stops before the next election in 2020, give speeches that are riddled with more lies, and hurl more insults at the media. — Zach Schermele, Teen Vogue, "Student Journalists are More Important Than Ever Before in the Trump Era," 18 July 2018 The June 10 protests were in large part peaceful, but turned violent in central Binh Thuan province, where vehicles were set ablaze and angry mobs hurled rocks and charged at riot police. — Martin Petty, The Christian Science Monitor, "China's reach fuels illegal protests in Vietnam," 19 June 2018 Video footage showed McGregor hurling a hand truck at a bus full of fighters after a press conference for UFC 223 at Barclays Center in April. — Michael R. Sisak, Houston Chronicle, "MMA star Conor McGregor in plea negotiations after melee," 14 June 2018 Moments before the game started, riot police charged into the stands to break up AEK fans who hurled flares and smoke canisters. — Samuel Petrequin, The Seattle Times, "7 more teams qualify for Champions League knockout stage," 27 Nov. 2018 They’re active participants, as when Lila hurls stones back at the boys who attack her — and Elena steps in to help. — Anna North, Vox, "My Brilliant Friend pulls back the curtain on women’s lives. What it reveals is dark and violent.," 20 Nov. 2018 Racist invective, misogyny, rape and death threats, all hurled at her constantly, unrelentingly, transforming what had been a Cinderella story — The Last Jedi was Tran’s first major film —into a modern-day nightmare. — Marc Bernardin, The Hollywood Reporter, "Toxic Fandom Is Killing 'Star Wars'," 11 June 2018 The video - which grabbed more than 500,000 views in two days - plunged the 37-year-old singer/fashion entrepreneur into mommy time-out as parents questioned the wisdom of hurling a child with a broken arm into the water like that. — Lisa Gutierrez, kansascity, "Jessica Simpson's 4-year-old goes flying through the air in pool video. Moms freak out," 27 June 2018 Witnesses said a man in police uniform tried to hurl a grenade at the stage after Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed addressed a crowd of tens of thousands cheering a wave of reforms in Africa’s second most populous country. — Elias Meseret, The Seattle Times, "US sends FBI experts to investigate deadly Ethiopia blast," 25 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hurl.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.