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Hurdle vs. Hurtle
Indistinguishable in speech, the words hurtle and hurdle can be a confusing pair.
Hurtle is a verb with two meanings: "to move rapidly or forcefully," as in "The stone was hurtling through the air," and "to hurl or fling," as in "I hurtled the stone into the air." Note that the first use is intransitive: the stone isn't hurtling anything; it itself is simply hurtling. The second use is transitive: something was hurtled—in this case, a stone.
Hurdle is both a noun and a verb. As a noun, its most common meanings have to do with barriers: the ones that runners leap over, and the metaphorical extension of these, the figurative barriers and obstacles we try to similarly overcome. The verb hurdle has two meanings, and they are directly related to these. It can mean "to leap over especially while running," as in "She hurdled the fence," and it can mean "to overcome or surmount," as in "They've had to hurdle significant financial obstacles." The verb hurdle is always transitive; that is, there's always a thing being hurdled, whether it be a physical obstacle or a metaphorical one.
Examples of hurtle in a Sentence
Shimon Prokupecz, CNN Money, 23 July 2025
This teen motorcycle racer is hurtling at speeds topping 150 miles per hour on the track, trying to make history in North America’s premier road racing series.
—Kristin Shaw, Forbes.com, 23 July 2025
Is there a deep, systemic flaw to generative AI, or is the technology hurtling down a path toward unlimited advancement?
—Matteo Wong, The Atlantic, 8 July 2025
The dual-launch coaster will send riders hurtling toward a cavern in the base of Wonder Mountain before transitioning to a vertical stretch of track that will send them rocketing toward the mountain’s peak at 72 mph.
—Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for hurtle
Cite this Entry
“Hurtle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hurtle. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.
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