: an Irish game resembling field hockey played between two teams of 15 players each
Did you know?
An Irish game resembling both field hockey and lacrosse, hurling is played between two teams of 15 players. The game is mentioned in Irish manuscripts dating back to the 13th century. The stick used—a tapered, slightly curved device with a cupped blade at the end—is called a hurley. A point is scored by hitting the ball over the crossbar of the opposing team’s goalposts, three points by driving it under the crossbar. Hurling is considered the national pastime of Ireland.
Examples of hurling in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Israeli forces, meanwhile, carried out a raid elsewhere in the West Bank that the military said was in response to the hurling of firebombs at Israeli vehicles.
—
Joseph Krauss, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025
On October 11, the National Museum Directors’ Council (NMDC) issued a plea for the group to end demonstrations at the National Gallery, citing five incidents of climate activism since July 2022, including the now-infamous hurling of tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019
His itineraries have a personal touch, such as surprising a musical son with an impromptu jam session in Ireland, teaching student athletes how to play Gaelic hurling, or giving fashion-minded clients a rare tour of a heritage wool mill.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2024
In previous years, demonstrators against Islam were met with protests and the hurling of objects in a couple of cases, but there were none this time.
—Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 20 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for hurling
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Joseph Krauss, Chicago Tribune, 22 Jan. 2025
On October 11, the National Museum Directors’ Council (NMDC) issued a plea for the group to end demonstrations at the National Gallery, citing five incidents of climate activism since July 2022, including the now-infamous hurling of tomato soup at Vincent van Gogh’s Sunflowers.
—Tessa Solomon, ARTnews.com, 3 Sep. 2019
His itineraries have a personal touch, such as surprising a musical son with an impromptu jam session in Ireland, teaching student athletes how to play Gaelic hurling, or giving fashion-minded clients a rare tour of a heritage wool mill.
—Travel + Leisure Editors, Travel + Leisure, 12 Sep. 2024
In previous years, demonstrators against Islam were met with protests and the hurling of objects in a couple of cases, but there were none this time.
—Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 20 July 2024
See All Example Sentences for hurling
Cite this Entry
“Hurling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hurling. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share