hurl

verb

ˈhər(-ə)l 

hurled; hurling ˈhər-liŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: rush, hurtle

2

: pitch sense 5a

3

: vomit

transitive verb

1

: to send or thrust with great vigor

the forces that were to be hurled against the Turks

—N. T. Gilroy

2

: to throw down with violence

3

a

: to throw forcefully : fling

hurled the manuscript into the fire

hurled myself over the fence

b

: pitch sense 2a

4

: to utter with vehemence

hurled insults at the police

hurl noun

hurler

ˈhər-lər 

noun

Synonyms

• barf
• gag
• heave
• puke
• retch
• spew
• spit up
• throw up
• upchuck
• vomit

Choose the Right Synonym for hurl

throw, cast, toss, fling, hurl, pitch, sling mean to cause to move swiftly through space by a propulsive movement or a propelling force.

throw is general and interchangeable with the other terms but may specifically imply a distinctive motion with bent arm.

can throw a fastball and a curve

cast usually implies lightness in the thing thrown and sometimes a scattering.

cast it to the winds

toss suggests a light or careless or aimless throwing and may imply an upward motion.

tossed the coat on the bed

fling stresses a violent throwing.

flung the ring back in his face

hurl implies power as in throwing a massive weight.

hurled himself at the intruder

pitch suggests throwing carefully at a target.

pitch horseshoes

sling stresses either the use of whirling momentum in throwing or directness of aim.

slung the bag over his shoulder

Examples of hurl in a Sentence

Someone hurled a rock through the window.

He hurled a chair at me.

It looked like she was going to hurl herself down the stairs.

The protesters hurled insults at us.

Recent Examples on the Web

These days, more residents − including children in the park − hurl nasty words her way. —Claire Thornton, USA TODAY, 17 Apr. 2024

One of them hurled a fish at the audience—Suzy Menkes, then the doyen of The Times, caught it in her lap. —Hamish Bowles, Vogue, 16 Apr. 2024

Imagine trying to do your job every day with thousands of people surrounding you, hurling racist taunts. —Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 15 Apr. 2024

This isn’t the first time Jasmine has hurled the idea that Gino isn’t fit to be a father — though in the past, it was done in the heat of an argument. —Kelly Wynne, Peoplemag, 15 Apr. 2024

Two giant, shirtless men bow respectfully and then hurl themselves at each other in a violent pas de deux that ends with a victory in seconds. —Victor Mather Todd Heisler, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024

An Arizona man's departure from a downtown parking garage was cut short after two people allegedly hurled a fire extinguisher from their rooftop, injuring him. —Sarah Rumpf-Whitten, Fox News, 13 Apr. 2024

During the incident, rocks were hurled at IDF soldiers, who responded with fire. —Kareem Khadder, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024

The crater, three-quarters of a mile wide and as deep as the Washington Monument is tall, was formed more than 50,000 years ago when a meteor traveling at 29,000 miles per hour hurled itself into our planet. —Leslie Camhi, Travel + Leisure, 30 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Phrases Containing hurl

• throw/hurl/toss a monkey wrench into

Kids Definition

hurl

verb

ˈhər(-ə)l 

hurled; hurling ˈhər-liŋ 

1

: to throw violently or powerfully

2

: pitch entry 3 sense 6a

3

: vomit entry 2

hurler

ˈhər-lər 

noun