hurtles

verb

present tense third-person singular of hurtle
1
as in scurries
to proceed or move quickly the probe hurtled through space to its destination: Jupiter

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in throws
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm competitors taking turns hurtling their javelins down the field

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of hurtles In his gorgeous and arresting debut, Nick Martino hurtles through a variety of forms—from sonnets to visual poems to works of visual art—to vividly portray and reflect on a teenager’s world during and after the speaker’s parents’ divorce and his father’s incarceration. — Craig Morgan Teicher, Literary Hub, 1 June 2026 Another 43% do not, and 21% are unsure, highlighting deep uncertainty as the country hurtles toward the 2026 midterm elections in November. — Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 23 Apr. 2026 While the world hurtles towards holiday chaos, reclaim your winter solstice with stillness and reflection just as the world’s ancient cultures did thousands of years ago, from Roman Saturnalia feasts to Persian Shab-e Yalda gatherings to the blazing Yule logs of Scandinavia. — Michaela Trimble, Vogue, 18 Dec. 2025 Some are passing the cost on to eaters, tacking a few extra dollars onto the price of dishes when ordered for delivery—but as the economy hurtles toward a possible recession, $31 for spaghetti in a cardboard box starts to seem like a bad idea too. — Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtles
  1. scurries
  2. throws
  3. rushes
  4. hurls
  5. speeds
  6. tosses
  7. hurries
  8. flings
Verb
  • Inside Botánica Santo Tomas in Wilton Manors, store owner Héctor Giovanni Pizarro Santana sweeps the floor as his tiny Chihuahua, Bella, scurries behind him.
    — Delia Sauer, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
  • Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Alicent scurries the great halls, desperate to shore up support for her plan to hand Rhaenyra the Red Keep.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
Definition of scurries
Verb
  • Abbott throws better on the road, and Bratt throws better at home.
    — David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Jimmy, who works as a cook in a canteen, has a musical gift, which throws into sharp relief the different chances both men have been given in life.
    — Caspar Salmon, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of throws
Verb
  • The microscopic amoeba thrives in warm freshwater and can cause a neurological infection when water containing the amoeba rushes through the nose and reaches the brain, according to the state health department.
    — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Hard hits are welcome, but not at the expense of leaving the team vulnerable to odd-man rushes.
    — Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of rushes
Verb
  • An impact therefore hurls high-speed ejecta (fine regolith and rock fragments) across vast distances at bullet-like speeds.
    — Leonard David, Space.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Whether your 9-to-5 job involves a rare combination of manual record keeping and precarious wilderness travel, or your idea of outdoor recreation includes journaling your day while remaining at the ready for whatever nature hurls at you, the all-new Pen-metheus equips you for it all.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 22 June 2026
Definition of hurls
Verb
  • Saltwater speeds up rust and wear, plants need regular care, docks face storms and tides, and equipment like generators, solar panels, and desalination systems will eventually need replacing.
    — Jim Dobson, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Cubing the butter speeds things up by increasing surface area.
    — Katie Rosenhouse, Southern Living, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of speeds
Verb
  • Philip Marlowe as Chandler’s private eye is a smooth talking, whiskey-drinking character who tosses suggestive suggestions and 38 revolvers around with equal aplomb.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 July 2026
  • The grandfather is seen running around a few trees, but the bison soon catches up and tosses the helpless visitor eight feet in the air.
    — Suzanne Yeo, ABC News, 13 July 2026
Definition of tosses
Verb
  • If someone hurries you, slow the exchange and name what feels good in your body, like sitting down before deciding on plans.
    — Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026
  • Nix almost always hurries his throws when a blitz comes Harvey’s way, regardless of whether the rookie RB picks it up capably or not.
    — Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025
Definition of hurries
Verb
  • Its highly specialized strategy likely evolved to take advantage of the ant’s natural aggression and then overcome its defenses; the slingshot mechanism flings the ant from the foraging trail, reducing the risk that the spider will be swarmed by other workers, the researchers hypothesized.
    — Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 23 June 2026
  • That pressure flings some of the hot gas outward in the form of a wind.
    — Jeanna Bryner, Scientific American, 4 June 2026
Definition of flings

Browse Nearby Words

hurtled
hurtles
hurtless
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Hurtles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtles. Accessed 28 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of cogent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 28

Why do we say 'break a leg'?
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All