hasten

verb

has·​ten ˈhā-sᵊn 

hastened; hastening ˈhā-sᵊn-iŋ 

ˈhās-niŋ

intransitive verb

: to move or act quickly

She hastened up the stairs.

transitive verb

1

: to encourage to move or act quickly : to urge on

hastened her to the door

—A. J. Cronin

2

: to cause to happen more quickly : accelerate

His death was hastened by alcoholism.

hasten the coming of a new order

—D. W. Brogan

hastener

ˈhā-sᵊn-ər 

ˈhās-nər

noun

Synonyms

• accelerate
• bundle
• fast-track
• hurry
• quicken
• rush
• speed (up)
• whisk

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

This will hasten its adoption into the global financial system, further driving up its value and leading to more innovation and disruption. —Bernard Marr, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024

But bigger forces could be hastening some pharmacies' decline. —Tina Reed, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024

That plan could hasten results, but is likely to see pushback from civil rights groups that generally oppose changes limiting voting accessibility. —Sasha Hupka, The Arizona Republic, 2 Dec. 2024

Lucas retains his hold on the lucrative smack market largely because of his ability to not attract attention; his eventual downfall is hastened by the regrettable decision to stand out in a crowd for once and rock a chinchilla fur coat and matching hat at a prizefight. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 1 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see haste entry 1

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing hasten

• hasten to add/say/explain (etc.)

Kids Definition

hasten

verb

has·​ten ˈhā-sᵊn 

hastened; hastening ˈhās-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: to urge on

2

: to speed up : accelerate

hastened my steps

3

: to move or act quickly : hurry

hastener

ˈhās-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

noun