1
as in scurrying
to proceed or move quickly
the probe hurtled through space to its destination: Jupiter
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in throwing
to send through the air especially with a quick forward motion of the arm
competitors taking turns hurtling their javelins down the field
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Recent Examples of hurtling
Because right now the comet is hurtling on a direct path to destroy the greatest regular season in sports, and no one is listening.
—
Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The shot of the car hurtling off the cliff is one of cinema’s most enduring images, illustrating unbreakable friendship, victory and freedom.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Beneath its breezy surface, the movie is grappling with these knotted questions of gender, choice, ambition and identity — just like Gabrielle, hurtling through her day, is constantly negotiating competing urges, figuring out how to wrest meaning from her existence.
—Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
The blasts had sent rubble and shrapnel hurtling through the theater’s portico and its tympanum, whose statuary muses, farmers, and metalsmiths were still upright but were backlit by sunbeams now that no masonry was behind them.
—James Verini, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
An ordinary event — like my toddler screaming — would trigger me, releasing a valve that had been shut for decades and hurtling me back into a primal rage.
—Jane Park, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
The fuel levy suspension is hurtling toward the exact same political brick wall.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 8 May 2026
While hurtling through Earth's atmosphere at nearly 35 times the speed of sound, the Orion capsule endured incredibly hot temperatures.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Here's how Congress might fix Social Security Social Security is hurtling toward a fiscal cliff.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 14 May 2026
The shot of the car hurtling off the cliff is one of cinema’s most enduring images, illustrating unbreakable friendship, victory and freedom.
—Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2026
Beneath its breezy surface, the movie is grappling with these knotted questions of gender, choice, ambition and identity — just like Gabrielle, hurtling through her day, is constantly negotiating competing urges, figuring out how to wrest meaning from her existence.
—Jon Frosch, HollywoodReporter, 13 May 2026
The blasts had sent rubble and shrapnel hurtling through the theater’s portico and its tympanum, whose statuary muses, farmers, and metalsmiths were still upright but were backlit by sunbeams now that no masonry was behind them.
—James Verini, The Atlantic, 12 May 2026
An ordinary event — like my toddler screaming — would trigger me, releasing a valve that had been shut for decades and hurtling me back into a primal rage.
—Jane Park, PEOPLE, 9 May 2026
The fuel levy suspension is hurtling toward the exact same political brick wall.
—Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 8 May 2026
While hurtling through Earth's atmosphere at nearly 35 times the speed of sound, the Orion capsule endured incredibly hot temperatures.
—Chelsea Gohd, Space.com, 28 Apr. 2026
Here's how Congress might fix Social Security Social Security is hurtling toward a fiscal cliff.
—Daniel De Visé, USA Today, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtling
Verb
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That’s because the ride has one of the best animatronic figures in SoCal, namely a black cat scurrying across a piano.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
12 May 2026
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Your eyes may see the prairie dogs digging and scurrying.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is accused of throwing a rock at the head of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal — one of the rarest marine mammals in the world — earlier this month in an incident caught on camera by beachgoers.—
Michael Sinkewicz,
FOXNews.com,
18 May 2026
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Special props to the jolly axe-throwing head of adventure, Nye Rees; personable Brasserie maitre d’, Javier Padron; and trainer Peter Sullivan, who explained the finer points of fasting for women whilst crucifying my glutes.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 May 2026
Verb
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The United Arab Emirates is speeding up the completion of a new pipeline that will allow the Gulf federation to export more oil without routing it through the Strait of Hormuz.—
Sheikh Saaliq,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
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Mamdani intends to cut the median time for approvals from 210 to to 100 days via a mix of simplifying income verification, speeding up the process for lottery winners to be selected, and streamlining the applications, among other things.—
New York Daily News Editorial Board,
New York Daily News,
15 May 2026
Verb
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The footage appeared to show large groups of teenagers throwing punches, hurling chairs, and using restaurant furniture as weapons while customers fled for safety.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
18 May 2026
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Saturday's fight was shared on social media by multiple users and showed several people throwing punches and hurling chairs and tables inside the business.—
Mike Stunson,
USA Today,
18 May 2026
Verb
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Set over the course of eight years (including the lockdown period during COVID), Herry’s film unfolds fluidly, neither hurrying scenes up unnecessarily, nor lingering too long on any incident.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
17 May 2026
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No point hurrying toward a resolution that was always receding.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Cubs did just enough to scratch a run across against Braves lefty Chris Sale, and the bullpen kept tossing up zeros en route to a 2-0 victory to snap a four-game losing streak.—
Meghan Montemurro,
Chicago Tribune,
15 May 2026
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Igor Mykhaylovych Lytvynchuk, 38, of Covington, Washington, is suspected of tossing a rock at the head of an endangered Hawaiian monk seal — one of the rarest marine mammals on earth — on May 5 in an incident that was caught on camera by locals.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
15 May 2026
Verb
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And then there were the reports that Prince William wasn’t pleased that Harry appeared to be rushing into marrying the American former TV actor and that either Meghan or Kate Middleton were left in tears over a particularly contentious fitting for bridesmaids’ dresses.—
Martha Ross,
Mercury News,
20 May 2026
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In the past, the company has benefited from an uncertain economic outlook, as consumers are more likely to fix up their current vehicles rather than rushing off to buy new ones — especially as financing costs rise.—
Sarah Min,
CNBC,
20 May 2026
Verb
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Another video showed Chonkers reemerging from the water, flinging himself onto a dock full of smaller sea lions who, save for one apparently brave animal, fled at the sight and reverberations of their massive neighbor.—
Rachel Raposas,
PEOPLE,
28 Apr. 2026
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Sam instead proposes that the performer dance to it without music, a prompt that is followed by Anne Hathaway flinging herself across the room, dragging her body across the floor in a hypnotic spectacle that seems to convey struggle, possession, and loss of control.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurtling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtling. Accessed 23 May. 2026.
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