hasten
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
verb
-
(may take an infinitive) to hurry or cause to hurry; rush
-
(tr) to be anxious (to say something)
I hasten to add that we are just good friends
Usage
What does hasten mean? Hasten means to go faster or cause to go faster.Hasten often sounds a bit formal. More informal phrases like speed up and hurry up can be used to mean the same thing and are more commonly used.Hasten is often used in the context of saying that efforts to achieve some kind of goal need to be accelerated (done faster), as in We need to hasten our efforts to address climate change. To hasten something’s demise is to make it fail more quickly.The related noun haste most commonly refers to urgency, such as in completing a task. It can also be used as another word for speed or swiftness, as in We have to move with haste if we want to make it on time. The phrase make haste means to move quickly, hurry up, or rush.Example: This report highlights the fact that we need to hasten our efforts to eradicate this disease.
Other Word Forms
- hastener noun
- outhasten verb (used with object)
- overhasten verb
- unhastened adjective
Etymology
Origin of hasten
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The administrator winding down Do Kwon’s Terraform Labs has sued Jane Street, alleging that the high-speed trading giant engaged in insider trading to profit unlawfully from and ultimately hasten the crypto empire’s collapse.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026
It will only hasten the very decline the movement fears.
From Salon • Jan. 7, 2026
The German government just approved a list of measures to cut red tape that should hasten deployment.
From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025
Will it hasten departure of President Nicolas Maduro?
From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 17, 2025
I could do nothing, however, so I plucked up what heart I could and said that we had better hasten, as the afternoon was passing....
From "Dracula" by Bram Stoker
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
