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hurling

noun
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hurl·​ing | \ ˈhər-liŋ How to pronounce hurling (audio) \

Definition of hurling

: an Irish game resembling field hockey played between two teams of 15 players each
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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 The attack comes as Portland continues to grapple with nights of unrest that have increasingly turned violent, leading to shootings, assaults, arson and the hurling of deadly objects at police officers. — Fox News, "Man who filmed Portland assault video says it was a ‘random’ attack," 18 Aug. 2020 But aside from a couple of hurling jokes, Myers and Carvey stuck to the script and put all the attention on the Queen biopic that shared a name with the song that became the standout musical moment of their 1992 comedy classic. — Katie Atkinson, Billboard, "The Best & Worst Moments of the 2019 Oscars," 25 Feb. 2019 Leaked video showed two Sweden Democrat MPs and the party’s candidate for attorney general hurling racist slurs at a comedian of Kurdish descent, then threatening a drunken witness with iron pipes. — Jo Becker, New York Times, "The Global Machine Behind the Rise of Far-Right Nationalism," 10 Aug. 2019 Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green was caught on camera hurling profanities at a Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach late in Wednesday’s game at the Moda Center. — oregonlive, "Draymond Green hurls profanities, accuses Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach of ‘cheating the game’," 19 Dec. 2019 Luca Bruno/Associated Press What do Chinese acupuncture, Irish hurling and the polyphonic singing of the Aka Pygmies of Central Africa have in common? — New York Times, "Italians Celebrate Their Coffee and Want the World to Do So, Too," 3 Dec. 2019 And he was preceded onstage by a pair of charming Los Angeles drag queens, Meatball and Pinche, whose act included the hurling of several McDonald’s cheeseburgers into the crowd. — Los Angeles Times, "Country singer Orville Peck has a secret. No, not that one," 4 Sep. 2019 Finally, camogie is the female equivalent of hurling, with the same rules and objectives. — Robert Avery, Houston Chronicle, "Dozen players named to represent Deer Park in Mustang all-star competition," 24 May 2018 This year, for the first time, Chicago’s GAA has no hurling teams, but Redmond said its one camogie club will travel to Midwestern tournaments this summer and to the finals in Philadelphia on Labor Day weekend. — Susan Demar Lafferty, Daily Southtown, "'Five times faster than soccer': Irish football draws fans of Old World sport to Oak Forest," 9 July 2018

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

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First Known Use of hurling

1780, in the meaning defined above

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Time Traveler for hurling

Time Traveler

The first known use of hurling was in 1780

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Cite this Entry

“Hurling.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hurling. Accessed 25 Jan. 2021.

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More from Merriam-Webster on hurling

Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for hurling

Nglish: Translation of hurling for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of hurling for Arabic Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about hurling

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