hurling

noun hurl·ing \ ˈhər-liŋ \

Updated on: 27 Apr 2018

Definition of hurling

: an Irish game resembling field hockey played between two teams of 15 players each

Recent Examples of hurling from the Web

Conservatives and liberals agreed the book offered no new information and that Comey lost credibility as an objective witness in the Russian investigation by throwing himself into the political fray and hurling insults at President Trump.

— william cummings, USA TODAY, "The Bubble: Conservatives and liberals agree James Comey's book didn't do him any favors," 18 Apr. 2018
The video depicts a short part of the response to a violent riot, which included rock hurling and attempts to sabotage the security fence, and lasted about two hours.

— oren liebermann, CNN, "Video shows Israeli sniper shooting Palestinian as soldiers celebrate," 10 Apr. 2018
Ludgar and his fellow hurling machines threw boulders, but the historical records point to English forces employing more imaginative ammo, too.

— william gurstelle, Popular Mechanics, "The Legend of Ludgar the War Wolf, King of the Trebuchets," 1 May 2017
In the outer solar system such orbits tend to be tethered at one end to whichever giant planet originally did the hurling.

— lee billings, Scientific American, "Looking for Planet Nine, Astronomers Gaze into the Abyss," 22 Mar. 2018
From there you’d be whisked to the historic Croke Park stadium, home to Ireland’s national games of hurling and Gaelic football.

— adam erace, Fortune, "How to Have a Spectacular Day in Dublin," 18 Feb. 2018
And yet, the majestic way Johnson depicts her hurling through space feels like a farewell.

— spencer kornhaber, The Atlantic, "How The Last Jedi Lands So Many Big Twists," 17 Dec. 2017
On Wednesday night, Juan Martin del Potro continued his lighting-bolt-hurling and beat Roger Federer, depriving New York fans of the first Federer-Nadal encounter at the U.S. Open.

— jon wertheim, SI.com, "Sloane Stephens, Madison Keys Rise to the Occasion to Reach U.S. Open Final," 8 Sep. 2017
But in the wake of the tragedy in Charlottesville, Va., the Cork GAA officials appealed to their fans not to wave the banner of American sedition at Irish football or hurling matches any more.

— charles p. pierce, SI.com, "Sports, Like The Rest Of The U.S., Still Struggles With Legacy Of Racism," 29 Aug. 2017

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.

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.