What does "hurtle" mean?
An act of colliding with or hitting; a collision.
Hurtle
/ˈhɜːtl̩/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An act of colliding with or hitting; a collision.
- Grammar: hurtle is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: assault, bang, bang into, barrel.
- Useful contrasts: crawl, creep, saunter.
- Usage evidence: The chimp's eyes narrowed, ready to hurtle the stone at the slightest provocation.
How to use "hurtle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hurtle" 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 "hurtle" 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 "hurtle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hurtle" 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 "hurtle" is acting as noun, verb 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 "assault" 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.
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Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hurtle", 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 An act of colliding with or hitting; a collision. countable, literary, poetic
"I flung closer to his breast, / As sword that, after battle, flings to sheathe; / And, in that hurtle of united souls, / The mystic motions which in common moods / Are shut beyond our sense, broke in on us, […]"
- 2 Synonym of hurtleberry or whortleberry (“any of several shrubs belonging to the genus Vaccinium; a berry of one of these shrubs”). literary, obsolete, poetic, rare
"Vaccinia nigra, the blacke VVhortle, or Hurtle, is a baſe and lovve tree, or vvoodie plant, bringing foorth many branches of a cubite high, ſet full of ſmall leaues, of a darke greene colour, […]"
- 3 Misspelling of hurdle. alt-of, literary, misspelling, poetic
- 4 A rapid or uncontrolled movement; a dash, a rush. also, countable, figuratively, literary, poetic
"[T]he war woke me up, I began to move left, and recent events have accelerated that move until it is now a hurtle."
- 5 A sound of clashing or colliding; a clattering, a rattling. countable, literary, poetic
"There came a hurtle of wings, a flash of bright feathers, and a great pigeon with slate-grey plumage and a neck bright as an opal, lit on a swaying finial."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 (Violent) disagreement; conflict. figuratively, literary, poetic, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To propel or throw (something) hard or violently; to fling, to hurl. archaic, literary, poetic, transitive
"He hurtled the wad of paper angrily at the trash can and missed by a mile."
- 2 throw forcefully wordnet
- 3 To cause (someone or something) to collide with or hit another person or thing; or (two people or things) to collide with or hit each other. archaic, literary, poetic, transitive
"Only in solitude could that strong man give way to his emotions; and at first they rushed forth so confused and stormy, so hurtling one the other, that hours elapsed before he could serenely face the terrible crisis of his position."
- 4 make a thrusting forward movement wordnet
- 5 To attack or criticize (someone) verbally or in writing. archaic, figuratively, literary, poetic, transitive
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 move with or as if with a rushing sound wordnet
- 7 To move rapidly, violently, or without control, especially in a noisy manner. intransitive, literary, poetic
"The car hurtled down the hill at 90 miles per hour."
- 8 Of a person or thing: to collide with or hit another person or thing, especially with force or violence; also, of two people or things: to collide together; to clash. archaic, intransitive, literary, poetic
"Yet could not all that force and furie ſhake / The valiant champions, nor their perſons vvound, / Together hurtled both their ſteedes, and brake / Each others necke, the riders lay on ground: / But they (great maſters of vvars dreadfull art) / Pluckt forth their ſvvords and ſoone from earth vp ſtart."
- 9 To make a sound of things clashing or colliding together; to clatter, to rattle; hence, to move with such a sound. archaic, intransitive, literary, poetic
"The noiſe of Battell hurtled in the Ayre: / Horſſes do neigh, and dying men did grone, / And Ghoſts did ſhrieke and ſqueale about the ſtreets."
- 10 Of two people, etc.: to meet in a shocking or violent encounter; to clash; to jostle. archaic, figuratively, intransitive, literary, poetic
Example
"The chimp's eyes narrowed, ready to hurtle the stone at the slightest provocation."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hurtle"?
Common synonyms include: assault, bang, bang into, barrel, barreled, barreling.
How do you use "hurtle" in a sentence?
The chimp's eyes narrowed, ready to hurtle the stone at the slightest provocation.
How do you pronounce "hurtle"?
Pronounced /ˈhɜːtl̩/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
The verb is derived from Middle English hurtelen, hurtlen (“to cast, hurl, throw; to charge at; to clash in combat, fight; to collide; to injure; to knock down; to propel, push, thrust; to rush; to stumble”) [and other forms], from hurten (“to injure, wound, hurt (physically or figuratively); to damage, impair; to hurt one’s feelings, humiliate; to receive an injury; to collide into; to propel, push, thrust; to stumble”) (see further at English hurt (verb)) + -el-, -elen (frequentative suffix). The English word is analysable as hurt (“(obsolete) to knock; to strike”) + -le (frequentative suffix). The noun is derived from the verb.
Etymology 2
Possibly a clipping of hurtleberry, from Middle English hurtil-beri (“bilberry or blue whortleberry (Vaccinium myrtillus); berry of this shrub”); further etymology unknown, compare Middle English horten, hurten (“bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)”), and Old English horte (“bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)”).
Etymology 3
See hurdle.