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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
Brendan Quinn, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025
Newcastle were hurtling towards a reckoning in terms of the Premier League’s profit and sustainability rules (PSR), and with the club desperate to build around Alexander Isak, their prize asset, Guimaraes became their most likely departure.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 24 Mar. 2025
On the last night of his life, Larry Horton hurtled down Broadway, launched his silver car over a line of solid protective posts and slammed into a first-floor office.
—Ariane Lange, Sacramento Bee, 24 Mar. 2025
The tournament is hurtling toward a tipping point, where the schools outside the Power Four are marginalized to the point that the event is stripped of its magic.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 24 Mar. 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 9 Apr. 2025.
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