hurtle

verb

hur·​tle ˈhər-tᵊl 

hurtled; hurtling ˈhər-tᵊl-iŋ 

ˈhərt-liŋ

intransitive verb

: to move rapidly or forcefully

transitive verb

: hurl, fling

hurtle noun

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Hurdle vs. Hurtle

Indistinguishable in speech, the words hurtle and hurdle can be a confusing pair.

Hurtle is a verb with two meanings: "to move rapidly or forcefully," as in "The stone was hurtling through the air," and "to hurl or fling," as in "I hurtled the stone into the air." Note that the first use is intransitive: the stone isn't hurtling anything; it itself is simply hurtling. The second use is transitive: something was hurtled—in this case, a stone.

Hurdle is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, its most common meanings have to do with barriers: the ones that runners leap over, and the metaphorical extension of these, the figurative barriers and obstacles we try to similarly overcome. The verb hurdle has two meanings, and they are directly related to these. It can mean "to leap over especially while running," as in "She hurdled the fence," and it can mean "to overcome or surmount," as in "They've had to hurdle significant financial obstacles." The verb hurdle is always transitive; that is, there's always a thing being hurdled, whether it be a physical obstacle or a metaphorical one.

Synonyms of hurtle

• scurry
• rush
• speed
• hurry
• race
• fly
• jump
• drive
• travel
• trot
• chase
• zip
• run
• blow
• scoot
• dart
• scuttle
• buzz

Examples of hurtle in a Sentence

Boulders hurtled down the hill.

We kept to the side of the road as cars and trucks hurtled past us.

The protesters hurtled bottles at the police.

He hurtled himself into the crowd.

Recent Examples on the Web

Or just a fun night with the family — an up-close-and-personal, practically courtside seat to a basketball game replete with players hurtling toward their NBA dreams. —Alex Zietlow april 9, Charlotte Observer, 9 Apr. 2026

At this stage, Orion will be 26,500 feet (8,077 m) above the Pacific Ocean but still hurtling down at 325 mph (523 kph). —Keith Cooper, Space.com, 9 Apr. 2026

So, while the dutiful reader is still turning over basic questions about the nature of witchcraft, the girls are already hurtling up the stairs and out of the basement, and Lucie is crossing paths with Isabelle, a hostile neighbor. —Kristen Roupenian, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

Unlike rocks on Earth, which have been exposed to eons of weather and geological processes, many meteorites have spent that time hurtling through space, relatively untouched, Fries said. —Maliya Ellis, Houston Chronicle, 5 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English hurtlen to collide, frequentative of hurten to cause to strike, hurt

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Rhymes for hurtle

• fertile
• kirtle
• myrtle
• turtle
• infertile

Kids Definition

hurtle

verb

hur·​tle ˈhərt-ᵊl 

hurtled; hurtling ˈhərt-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to move suddenly or violently

boulders hurtled down the hill

2

: hurl sense 1, fling