What does "hurl" mean?
A throw, especially a violent throw; a fling.
Hurl
/hɝl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A throw, especially a violent throw; a fling.
- Grammar: hurl is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: cast, abuse, ball kinetic energy, baseball throw.
- Useful contrasts: catch, compliment, land gently.
- Usage evidence: I hoped you could hurl some lumens into the gloom.
How to use "hurl"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hurl" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hurl" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hurl" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hurl" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hurl" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "cast" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hurl", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A throw, especially a violent throw; a fling. countable
"He managed a hurl of 50.3 metres."
- 2 a violent throw wordnet
- 3 The act of vomiting. countable, slang, uncountable
"Open the window! I've gotta take a hurl."
- 4 Vomit. slang, uncountable
"WAYNE: What I'd really like to do is something extraordinary. Something big. […] But I'll probably end up working at Great America, mopping up hurl and lung butter."
- 5 The act of hitting the sliotar with the hurley. countable
Show 3 more definitions
- 6 A conveyance in a wheeled vehicle; a ride in a car, etc. Scotland, Ulster, countable, slang
"Maybe you can give me a hurl in the Bentley one day, when you're in the vicinity."
- 7 Tumult; riot; hurly-burly. countable, obsolete, uncountable
- 8 A table on which fibre is stirred and mixed by beating with a bow spring. countable, obsolete
Verb
- 1 To throw (something) with force. transitive
"Thou shalt have Preists immers’t in lust and gluttony And bishops three times married, thy cathedrals The Seats where Prayer and hospitality Should dwel, shall be the taverns Where Drunken bowles incessantly goe round In leud debauch and midnight dice are hurld, The beds wherein the wearied Pilgrim us’d To ease his crippled Limbs, he now shall find Possess’t with Women, nurses, she attandants, And a Dishonest brood of ugly children."
- 2 utter with force; utter vehemently wordnet
- 3 To utter (harsh or derogatory speech), especially at its target. transitive
"The gangs hurled abuse at each other."
- 4 throw forcefully wordnet
- 5 To participate in the sport of hurling. intransitive
"Their cause was helped after the senior footballers were unexpectedly dumped out of the running for the Sam Maguire, meaning Aidan Walsh is available to hurl full-time with the young Rebels -- Walsh scored 1-1 in the semi-final victory over reigning All-Ireland champions Tipperary."
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 make a thrusting forward movement wordnet
- 7 To vomit. intransitive, slang
"I shake and bake the world Rearrange like the chemical Jheri curl, drink til I hurl"
- 8 To twist or turn. obsolete, transitive
"On Nicias a philosopher having his shoes stolen from him, may they, said he, fit his feet that took them away. A wish at the first view very harmless, but there was that in it which poisoned his charity into a malicious revenge. For he himself had hurled or crooked feet, so that in effect he wished the thief to be lame."
- 9 To move rapidly with a noise; to whirl. obsolete
- 10 To convey in a wheeled vehicle. Scotland, obsolete, transitive
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"I hoped you could hurl some lumens into the gloom."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hurl"?
Common synonyms include: cast, abuse, ball kinetic energy, baseball throw, baseball throwing, boomeranging.
How do you use "hurl" in a sentence?
I hoped you could hurl some lumens into the gloom.
How do you pronounce "hurl"?
Pronounced /hɝl/.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English hurlen, of onomatopoeic origin; compare hurry, hurtle.