MEANING
To move rapidly, often with force or little apparent control.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- hurtle through space
- hurtle toward a barrier
On the page
The trolley hurtled down the unlit incline.
Nearby words
Word forms
- Base
- hurtle
- Past tense
- hurtled
- Past participle
- hurtled
- Present participle
- hurtling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- hurtle
- Present continuous
- am/is/are hurtling
- Present perfect
- have/has hurtled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been hurtling
- Past
- hurtled
- Past continuous
- was/were hurtling
- Past perfect
- had hurtled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been hurtling
- Future
- will hurtle
- Future continuous
- will be hurtling
- Future perfect
- will have hurtled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been hurtling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
Usage notes
Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: hurtle; hurtles; hurtled; hurtled; hurtling Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character, dialogue. Commonness: moderately common. Third-person singular: hurtles.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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