hurl
Americanverb (used with object)
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hurls,
present (3rd person singular)
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hurled,
past participle, past
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hurling
present participle
verb (used without object)
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hurls,
present (3rd person singular)
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hurled,
past participle, past
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hurling
present participle
-
to throw a missile.
-
Baseball. to pitch a ball.
noun
verb
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(tr) to throw or propel with great force
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(tr) to utter with force; yell
to hurl insults
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to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle
noun
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the act or an instance of hurling
-
a ride in a driven vehicle
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hurlsimple
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hurlssimple
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have hurledperfect
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has hurledperfect
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am hurlingprogressive
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are hurlingprogressive
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is hurlingprogressive
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have been hurlingperfect progressive
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has been hurlingperfect progressive
Past
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hurledsimple
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had hurledperfect
-
was hurlingprogressive
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were hurlingprogressive
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had been hurlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of hurl
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)
Explanation
When you hurl something, you throw it hard. You might hurl your shoe at a horrible bug if it suddenly scuttled across the floor. If you hurl a rock at a glass window, it will probably break, and if you hurl your trash in the direction of a garbage can, it may or may not land inside. The verb hurl implies some force behind your throw. The earliest English version was hurlen, which in the thirteenth century meant "run against each other or collide." It probably comes from the Germanic root hurr, which is also the root of hurry, and means "rapid motion."
Vocabulary lists containing hurl
"The Treasure of Lemon Brown"
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"My Wonder Horse," Vocabulary from the short story
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"Harbor Me" by Jacqueline Woodson
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
In August, the president directed the Navy to figure out how to return to using steam catapults on aircraft carriers to hurl jet fighters into the air.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026
To prove her historic hurl was no fluke, she came back with a 192-6 effort on her sixth and last throw.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 31, 2026
Moments later his epic 54-yard hurl to Marvin Mims Jr paid off spectacularly, caught deep downfield.
From Barron's ● Jan. 25, 2026
This rapid rearrangement can heat plasma to millions of degrees and hurl energized particles away from the site, creating a solar flare.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 21, 2026
Aru tried to pry off one of the statue’s toes to hurl it back at the arrows.
From "Aru Shah and the End of Time" by Roshani Chokshi
The reason anyone who hurls themselves off a mountain for a living might perform such a procedure is a matter of aerodynamics.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026
While he hurls baseless accusations and complaints in that episode, Funches presents a compelling case against another player, Atlanta Housewife Porsha Williams, at a banishment debate.
From Salon ● Jan. 15, 2026
Similar mysteries occur in “The Annihilation of Fish”: Each time Fish hurls that imaginary demon out the window of his second-story apartment, the tree below inexplicably shakes briefly.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2025
But if Mr. Macron doesn’t bend, he risks cementing his image as “Jupiter,” who hurls down orders from above and takes counsel from few, analysts say.
From New York Times ● Mar. 7, 2023
“You want the truth?” she snarls as she rips up the form and hurls it into the trash.
From "The Benefits of Being an Octopus" by Ann Braden
As they were exchanging back slaps and handshakes, someone hurled the first insult: “Did My Little Pony throw up in your closet? I hate it when that happens.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
One star is hurled away, while the other is captured into orbit around the black hole.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026
"The country and the world witnessed what happened at Jantar Mantar. Some mischievous youngsters hurled vile abuses," Modi, 75, said in a video posted on Instagram late Friday.
From Barron's ● Aug. 1, 2026
Overall, there’s too much use of hurled rubble.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 30, 2026
The Giants were defeated and hurled down to Tartarus; and the victory of the radiant powers of Heaven over the brutal forces of Earth was complete.
From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton
The storyline is inscrutable, but Walters displays real range, gazing forlornly in the rain, hurling dishes at a wall, grinning and giving high-fives when a family takes him bowling.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
North Korea has recently been hurling criticism at Japan, a former regional colonial power, over what Pyongyang describes as its remilitarisation.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
South Africa's Zulu king has expressed "deep" regret after a leaked video captured him hurling a barrage of insults at one of his wives.
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
Since then, restaurant chains have been hurling discounts and deals at consumers to win them back.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 2, 2026
Everyone knows that the Ancient Greeks invented the Olympic Games; for the Greeks, though, it wasn't just running, nude wrestling and hurling the javelin that were important.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
