Hurling Is Among the Fastest Field Sports
To hurl is to throw with force. The Irish sport of the same name is ancient and exceptionally quick.
To hurl is to throw something with great force. *Hurling*, the Irish field sport, takes its name from the same action and is among the fastest team games played: a struck ball travels well over 150 kilometres an hour, and players catch it bare-handed. The game appears in Irish legal texts from the fifth century, making it one of the oldest field sports still played. To *hurl* also means to vomit in informal American English.
- To throw forcefully. *Hurl a stone.*
- An Irish sport. *A hurling match.*
- To shout. *Hurl abuse.*
- To vomit (informal). *He hurled.*
- Middle English — *hurlen*. *The source.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | hurl | Hurling. |
| Past | hurled | Hurled. |
| Noun | hurl | A hurl. |
| Sport | hurling | Hurling. |
| Related | hurtle | To hurtle. |
- He hurled the ball downfield.Throwing.
- Hurling is played with a stick.Sport.
- They hurled insults.Figurative.
About hurling
- Played with a stick called a hurley and a ball called a sliotar
- The ball can exceed 150 kilometres an hour
- Players catch it in the hand
- References appear in Irish law texts from the fifth century
- Camogie is the closely related women's game
Middle English *hurlen*, probably imitative or from Low German, recorded from the 1200s.
How old is hurling?
References appear in Irish legal texts from the fifth century, making it one of the oldest field sports still played.
How fast does a sliotar travel?
A well struck ball can exceed 150 kilometres an hour, and players catch it bare-handed.