hurl

verb

ˈhər(-ə)l 

hurled; hurling ˈhər-liŋ 

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

3

a

: 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

hurl noun

hurler

ˈhər-lər 

noun

Synonyms of hurl

• vomit

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

Trump has hurled several insults at Schiff, including calling him a watermelon head. —David Lightman, Sacbee.com, 10 Dec. 2025

As the flare faded, the black hole suddenly hurled out ultra-fast winds at one-fifth the speed of light, giving scientists the clearest look yet at how violent flares trigger powerful outflows. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 9 Dec. 2025

Her son then gets to realize his dream of not going to college and becoming a firefighter after Kate, who has been on him for the duration of the film to write his college essay, begins reading his college essay and hurls it into the fire. —Rachel Handler, Vulture, 9 Dec. 2025

The arguments were ugly and heated, both sides hurling insults like bombs. —CBS News, 5 Dec. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing hurl

• throw/hurl/toss a monkey wrench into

Rhymes for hurl

• burl
• churl
• earl
• girl
• merl
• merle
• perle
• swirl
• twirl
• whirl
• whorl
• cowgirl

Kids Definition

hurl

verb

ˈhər(-ə)l 

hurled; hurling ˈhər-liŋ 

1

: to throw violently or powerfully

2

: pitch entry 3 sense 6a

3

: vomit entry 2

hurler

ˈhər-lər 

noun