hurl

American  

[hurl] / hɜrl /

verb (used with object)

hurls, present (3rd person singular) hurled, past participle, past hurling present participle

1. to throw or fling with great force or vigor.

   Synonyms:

   pitch, cast

2. to throw or cast down.

3. to utter with vehemence.

   to hurl insults at the umpire.

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verb (used without object)

hurls, present (3rd person singular) hurled, past participle, past hurling present participle

1. to throw a missile.

2. Baseball. to pitch a ball.

noun

1. a forcible or violent throw; fling.

hurl British  

/ hɜːl /

verb

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

2. (tr) to utter with force; yell

   to hurl insults

3. to transport or be transported in a driven vehicle

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noun

1. the act or an instance of hurling

2. a ride in a driven vehicle

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• hurler
  noun
• unhurled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• hurling
  present
• hurled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• hurl
  simple
• hurls
  simple
• have hurled
  perfect
• has hurled
  perfect
• are hurling
  progressive
• am hurling
  progressive
• is hurling
  progressive
• have been hurling
  perfect progressive
• has been hurling
  perfect progressive

Past

• hurled
  simple
• had hurled
  perfect
• was hurling
  progressive
• were hurling
  progressive
• had been hurling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will hurl
  simple
• will have hurled
  perfect
• will be hurling
  progressive
• will have been hurling
  perfect progressive

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."

Example Sentences

But in the outskirts of Boston on Saturday, it could be Steve Clarke who is about to hurl one almighty curveball that even Babe Ruth would struggle to read.

From BBC • Jun. 13, 2026

I will admit, at times I wanted to hurl my laptop into the Pacific.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 3, 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

I snatch up a stone and hurl it.

From "Grendel" by John Gardner

Related Words

• fire
• fling
• heave
• lob
• sling