hurled; hurling ˈhər-liŋ How to pronounce hurl (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to send or thrust with great vigor
the forces that were to be hurled against the TurksN. 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
4
: to utter with vehemence
hurled insults at the police
hurl noun
hurler noun
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 Terra Nova pitcher Liah Trade faced 55 batters and threw 204 pitches, while SSF’s Angelina Rogers hurled 142 pitches to 50 hitters. Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 23 Mar. 2024 Moments later, the suspect can be seen hurling the flaming cans at a group of strangers on the platform. Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2024 And for 200 consecutive days, members of the NAACP Youth Council marched throughout the city, often facing violent counter-protesters hurling rocks, bottles and racial slurs. Journal Sentinel, 4 Mar. 2024 But this dynamic has turned city council meetings into routine spectacles, where public comment drags on for hours and speakers hurl invectives at the seven members sitting on the dais. Reis Thebault, Washington Post, 2 Mar. 2024 Inside the city Russia was hurling up to 80 to 100 glide bombs, known by the acronym KAB, every day. Oleksandr Chubko Lynsey Addario, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 For example, many Native Americans played stickball, a lacrosse-like game in which players hurl a ball down a field, to settle disputes between tribes without resorting to violence. Cody Cottier, Discover Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 The Sun is currently in active phase of the solar cycle and has been hurling solar flares for the past few days. Marshall Shepherd, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Rather than the traditional cranking motion in which pitchers grip the ball with a stiff wrist and hurl it home, Mueller advised Semerano to hold the ball as loosely as possible, lead with his elbow and snap his wrist and forearm down. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 17 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hurl.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of hurl was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near hurl

Cite this Entry

“Hurl.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hurl. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hurl

verb
hurled; hurling ˈhər-liŋ How to pronounce hurl (audio)
1
: to throw violently or powerfully
2
3
hurler noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hurl

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