hurtle Hear it!

hurtle Definition

hur·tle (hʉrt'l)

intransitive verb -·tled, -·tling

  1. Archaic to dash (against or together) with great force or crushing impact; collide
  2. to move swiftly and with great force

Etymology: ME hurtlen, freq. of ME hurten: see hurt

transitive verb

to throw, shoot, or fling with great force; hurl

noun

Old Poet. the act of hurtling; collision; clash

hurtle Synonyms

hurtle

v.

  1. To dash against

    collide, bump, push; see crash 4.

  2. To move swiftly and forcefully

    rush, rush headlong, plunge, tear; see race 1, speed.

hurtle Usage Examples

Object

  • round: Takes a while to get used to steering the car, but a bit of patience will see you hurtling round the tracks.

Preposition: at

  • speed: Then with a gigantic roar, the engines kicked to life, sending the Avenger hurtling forward at a tremendous, unthinkable speed.

Preposition: through

  • air: The man was moving with easy, deadly grace, sending his opponents hurtling through the air.
  • space: You are about to be threatened by a massive elemental force hurtling through space.

Preposition: towards

  • earth: His analogy involves a comet hurtling toward the Earth.
  • ground: Des pressed the button on the dashboard, and the Mini hurtled toward the ground.

Adjective complement

  • past: I stood outside in the pine trees of the ancient churchyard, the cars hurtling past below on the busy road.

Modifying Another Word

  • down: Several shutter clicks later we hurtled down to Weardale, where in St. John's Chapel, lunch was consumed.
  • forward: The pack leader hurtled forward - eyes burning, jaws reaching for his throat.
  • back: Tap the button on the top and like a tape measure the thing goes hurtling back into the unit.
  • then: He then hurtles through the snow to Heathrow, arriving nearly a quarter of an hour after the others and finding them still planning.

Followed by an intransitive particle

  • along: You needed to know why they were out there in deep space hurtling along at warp factor nine.
  • around: Very rarely does following set of principles result in a driver hurtling around at OTT speeds.
  • down: You immediately found yourself hurtling down through space at a great turn of knots!
  • off: Just as the current started to pick up, I saw him hurtling off into deep water, chasing some shark.
  • out: Tommy Wright knocked the ball past Davis who came hurtling out of his area.

Followed by a transitive particle

  • down: Imagine hurtling down country lanes on your Mini Bike at speeds of thirty to forty miles an hour!
  • around: These big family skis are just the job for hurtling around the lake.

Particle object:

  • slope: They would hurtle down the steep chalk slope on trays or in sacks!
  • hill: I imagined myself hurtling down the hill or my favorite part, the bridge over the river.

Browse dictionary entries near hurtle

  1. hurtful
  2. hurt
  3. Hurston
  4. hurst
  5. hurrying
  6. hurry-scurry
  7. hurry
  8. hurriedly
  9. hurried
  10. hurricane lamp
  1. hurtleberry
  2. hurtless
  3. Hus
  4. husband
  5. husband-wife immunity
  6. husbandman
  7. husbandry
  8. hush
  9. Hush-a-Phone Decision
  10. hush-hush