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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of hurtling
Around the same window, the Skeleton medal finals on February 14–15 bring drama to the slopes, with athletes hurtling headfirst down the track at extreme speeds in one of the most visually intense events of the Winter Olympics.
—
Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Friday shutdown looms amid DHS funding debate The country is hurtling toward a partial government shutdown.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Within seconds, the craft was hurtling at 1,977 miles per hour, three times the speed of sound.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Ninety miles an hour — and yet no sensation of hurtling through the air.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Stuck in this box hurtling toward the abyss is Agnes (Coon), who’s been living at a motel on the fringes of Oklahoma City since leaving a violent ex, Jerry (Steve Key).
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
There is nothing more striking than a powerful dribbler in full flow, chewing up ground, fighting off defenders and hurtling towards goal.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Ever since it was first spotted hurtling through the solar system, Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has maintained that there’s a chance mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is a technological object sent by an extraterrestrial civilization.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 7 Jan. 2026
The major indexes each notched a record high in 2025, hurtling past tariffs, a government shutdown and fears of a bubble in artificial intelligence.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 31 Dec. 2025
Sam Leveridge, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Friday shutdown looms amid DHS funding debate The country is hurtling toward a partial government shutdown.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Jan. 2026
Within seconds, the craft was hurtling at 1,977 miles per hour, three times the speed of sound.
—Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 27 Jan. 2026
Ninety miles an hour — and yet no sensation of hurtling through the air.
—Eric Duvall, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Jan. 2026
Stuck in this box hurtling toward the abyss is Agnes (Coon), who’s been living at a motel on the fringes of Oklahoma City since leaving a violent ex, Jerry (Steve Key).
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 9 Jan. 2026
There is nothing more striking than a powerful dribbler in full flow, chewing up ground, fighting off defenders and hurtling towards goal.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 7 Jan. 2026
Ever since it was first spotted hurtling through the solar system, Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb has maintained that there’s a chance mysterious interstellar object 3I/ATLAS is a technological object sent by an extraterrestrial civilization.
—Victor Tangermann, Futurism, 7 Jan. 2026
The major indexes each notched a record high in 2025, hurtling past tariffs, a government shutdown and fears of a bubble in artificial intelligence.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 31 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hurtling
Verb
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Crushed like a scurrying cucaracha on the kitchen floor.—
Greg Cote
January 30,
Miami Herald,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Age has brought thoughts of conservatism scurrying into the back of his mind.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The duo got together for a throwing session a couple of weeks ago to hone their chemistry on routes.—
Kyle Newman,
Denver Post,
1 Feb. 2026
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Panthers owner David Tepper, with a net worth of $20 billion, was fined only $300,000 for throwing a drink at Jaguars fans.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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This state is notably strict on speeding States have the ability to set their own speed limits, after a nationwide limit of 55 mph was reversed in the 1990s.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
31 Jan. 2026
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This is the first evidence that this quark-gluon plasma reacts to particles speeding through it in the same way that liquid does, splashing and rippling, acting as a single unified liquid rather than randomly scattering as individual particles would.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
30 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Each of these impact sites stands testament to the violence of its creation — cataclysmic collisions that carved vast basins in the lunar surface, while hurling debris miles across the face of Earth's natural satellite.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
25 Jan. 2026
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Immigration authorities appear to be hurling smoke bombs at protesters.—
Kyla Guilfoil,
NBC news,
24 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Meza Gonzalez and David Christian, one of her attorneys, refused to answer questions from reporters about the plea agreement, hurrying down a flight of stairs at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.—
Megan Rodriguez,
San Antonio Express-News,
27 Jan. 2026
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But one weekend in November, people who would typically be hurrying by, staring down at their phones, stopped.—
The Editors,
Curbed,
15 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Soon after, federal agents began tossing tear gas toward the crowd and police, who were not wearing protective gear, video shows.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
29 Jan. 2026
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For more than 60 years (approximately 1906 to 1967), three beaches in Fort Bragg were used as dump sites, with people tossing household goods, glass, and more into the sea without much thought about the environmental consequences.—
Chelsee Lowe,
Travel + Leisure,
28 Jan. 2026
Verb
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With the most recent round of layoffs at Meta, plenty of online commenters have been rushing to declare virtual reality and the metaverse dead.—
Cortney Harding,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Video footage verified by The New York Times shows a member of staff rushing to an entrance to the consulate, where an agent appears to have opened the door.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
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With the shot clock winding down, Mara held the ball on the left block before flinging a desperation pass that ended up on the other end of the floor.—
Austin Meek,
New York Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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But as Gottlieb addressed the team after the game, her players burst into spontaneous celebration, flinging water at their coach and soaking in the afterglow of their biggest victory of the season.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
30 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hurtling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hurtling. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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