hastened; hastening
ˈhā-sᵊn-iŋ 
ˈhās-niŋ
: to move or act quickly
She hastened up the stairs.
1
: to encourage to move or act quickly : to urge on
hastened her to the door—
A. J. Cronin
A. J. Cronin2
: to cause to happen more quickly : accelerate
His death was hastened by alcoholism.
hasten the coming of a new order—D. W. Brogan
D. W. BroganSynonyms
Examples of hasten in a Sentence
His death was hastened by alcohol abuse.
hasten the activation of yeast with heat
Recent Examples on the Web
People forced to flee their cars on Sunset Boulevard; sparks whipped by 80-mph winds igniting entire streets; firefighters hastening evacuations and confronting literal walls of flame; the smoking shells of homes and businesses.
—Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Severe and frequent natural disasters have hastened the industry's retreat from high-risk areas, particularly Florida and California.
—Manya Saini, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
The United States used the weapons for the first and only time in the two Japanese cities in 1945, hastening Japan’s surrender to the Allies to end World War II.
—Seyed Ismail Nafeesa, NBC News, 11 Dec. 2024
Kennedy may even be hastening its arrival through his advocacy for raw milk, which can carry high levels of the H5N1 virus and is considered a possible vector for its transmission.
—Zeynep Tufekci, The Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hasten 
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Mary McNamara, Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2025
Severe and frequent natural disasters have hastened the industry's retreat from high-risk areas, particularly Florida and California.
—Manya Saini, USA TODAY, 10 Jan. 2025
The United States used the weapons for the first and only time in the two Japanese cities in 1945, hastening Japan’s surrender to the Allies to end World War II.
—Seyed Ismail Nafeesa, NBC News, 11 Dec. 2024
Kennedy may even be hastening its arrival through his advocacy for raw milk, which can carry high levels of the H5N1 virus and is considered a possible vector for its transmission.
—Zeynep Tufekci, The Mercury News, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for hasten
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Dictionary Entries Near hasten
Cite this Entry
“Hasten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hasten. Accessed 21 Jan. 2025.
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