hurl

[ hurl ]
See synonyms for: hurlhurlinghurler on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)
  1. to throw or fling with great force or vigor.

  2. to throw or cast down.

  1. to utter with vehemence: to hurl insults at the umpire.

verb (used without object)
  1. to throw a missile.

  2. Baseball. to pitch a ball.

noun
  1. a forcible or violent throw; fling.

Origin of hurl

1
1175–1225; Middle English hurlen, equivalent to hur- (perhaps akin to hurry) + -len-le; akin to Low German hurreln to toss, Frisian hurreln to roar (said of the wind), dialectal German hurlen to roll, rumble (said of thunder)

Other words for hurl

Other words from hurl

  • hurler, noun
  • outhurl, verb (used with object)
  • un·hurled, adjective

Words that may be confused with hurl

Words Nearby hurl

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use hurl in a sentence

  • It needed only an exertion of will for the soul to hurl the body ashore as wind drives paper; to waft it kite-fashion to the bank.

  • He waited until he was old and cold to hurl anathema against the human passions.

    Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
  • The most skilful in this exercise are some species of baboons, which can hurl branches, stones, or hard clods with much dexterity.

    Man And His Ancestor | Charles Morris
  • He could fly level now; every unit of force could be used for forward flight to hurl him onward faster and faster into the night.

  • Again an ague of beauty caught him, and he needed to hurl himself full length upon the mats until the ecstacy was past.

    The Dragon Painter | Mary McNeil Fenollosa

British Dictionary definitions for hurl

hurl

/ (hɜːl) /


verb
  1. (tr) to throw or propel with great force

  2. (tr) to utter with force; yell: to hurl insults

  1. (hʌrl) Scot to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle

noun
  1. the act or an instance of hurling

  2. (hʌrl) Scot a ride in a driven vehicle

Origin of hurl

1
C13: probably of imitative origin

Derived forms of hurl

  • hurler, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012