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to hurdle

to hurdle

8 3.1
To jump over a barrier, especially in a race
  • verb
  • /ˈhɜrdl/
translation icon : saltar
  • He hurdles Mount Everest.
  • hurdle the obstacle
  • hurdle the fence
  • hurdle that barrier

Examples

  • He hurdles the Grand Canyon.

  • Third baseman Sandoval fields the ball as pitcher Matt Cain hurdles over him.

    Blog text (4)
  • We are hurdling toward the day when climate change could be irreversible.

  • When Cotchery caught that ball, though, and hurdled a defender, I knew we were going to win.

    Blog text (12)
  • He hurdles Pikes Peak.

  • During the race, she expertly hurdled over every obstacle in her path.

  • The athlete needed to hurdle quickly to maintain his lead in the competition.

  • To win the event, he had to hurdle all the barriers set up on the track.

Synonyms

to jump
vsto hurdle
1.0

To push yourself off the ground with your legs into the air

is focused on racing motions that clear fixed barriers rather than general airborne movement
to vault
vsto hurdle
28 4.4

To jump over an obstacle, often using the hands or a pole for support

is usually a racing action done without using hands to clear barriers
to hop across
vsto hurdle
1 2.2

To jump lightly from one side to the other using small jumps

is a stronger race style action aimed at clearing fixed barriers
to overleap
vsto hurdle
  • Archaic
1 8.0

To jump across an obstacle like a fence or wall

is mainly used for racing to clear fixed barriers

Antonyms

to stay put
  • Informal
133 2.0

Remain in the same place without moving

Idioms

Fail at the final stage after earlier success

Compounds

The most difficult problem you must overcome

4 4.1

The first problem you must solve to start a task

last hurdle
  • Informal
2 4.0

The final difficulty you must get past before you finish something

A running race where runners jump over low barriers

How Difficult

to vault
28 4.4
leap
107 1.0
to hurdle
8 3.1
to jump
1.0
to hop
133 1.0
to step over
28 1.6

Surface Forms

hurdle infinitive
hurdled past
hurdled past participle
hurdling present participle
hurdles third person singular

Etymology

Hurdle comes from the same old word hyrdel, a low fence people jumped over. So, to hurdle something is to jump over it, and by extension to get past a problem.