haste

1 of 2

noun

ˈhāst 

1

: rapidity of motion : swiftness

out of breath from haste

—Jane Austen

We must make haste.

2

: rash or headlong action : precipitateness

She sent the letter in haste and later regretted it.

the beauty of speed uncontaminated by haste

—Harper's

3

: undue eagerness to act

In their haste to leave for the airport, they forgot their passports.

haste

2 of 2

verb

hasted; hasting

transitive verb

archaic : to urge on : hasten

with our fair entreaties haste them on

—William Shakespeare

haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee jest and youthful jollity

—John Milton

intransitive verb

: to move or act swiftly

these minutes even now hasting into eternity

—Winston Churchill

Synonyms

Noun

• celerity
• fastness
• fleetness
• hurry
• quickness
• rapidity
• rapidness
• speed
• speediness
• swiftness
• velocity

Choose the Right Synonym for haste

haste, hurry, speed, expedition, dispatch mean quickness in movement or action.

haste applies to personal action and implies urgency and precipitancy and often rashness.

marry in haste

hurry often has a strong suggestion of agitated bustle or confusion.

in the hurry of departure she forgot her toothbrush

speed suggests swift efficiency in movement or action.

exercises to increase your reading speed

expedition and dispatch both imply speed and efficiency in handling affairs but expedition stresses ease or efficiency of performance and dispatch stresses promptness in concluding matters.

the case came to trial with expedition

paid bills with dispatch

Examples of haste in a Sentence

Noun

The application had been approved with undue haste.

made haste to get there on time

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

After that, states and the leagues embraced gambling with unseemly haste. —Michael Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024

Neither team has threatened to leave the Kansas City area, but members of the public and legislator Manny Abarca have raised that possibility as reasons for haste in putting a measure on the ballot. —Mike Hendricks, Kansas City Star, 22 Mar. 2024

What insights will future historians be able to glean about the personal lives and the character of our leaders in 50 years based on a few surviving emails written in haste with poor grammar and punctuation? —Mary Divine, Twin Cities, 11 Feb. 2024

Maybe in their haste to flee, none had the time to grab their cellphones — which might explain why Baclig has yet to get a call. —Bobby Caina Calvan, Chicago Tribune, 20 Aug. 2023

Don’t feel pressured to act in haste when thought and preparation are in your best interest. —Eugenia Last, The Mercury News, 13 Mar. 2024

My Sorrows Church, the service was carried out with what supporters said was unseemly haste. —Catherine Belton, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024

In its haste, quality control appears to have suffered. —Will Knight, WIRED, 29 Feb. 2024

The lengthy national security bill – the first draft ran to 212 pages – was rushed through the city’s opposition-less Legislative Council with unusual haste at the request of city leader John Lee and debated over just 11 days. —Chris Lau, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024

Verb

Should this pocket-size French import be legal to park in your driveway, make all haste to bid. —Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 17 Nov. 2022

But haste and carelessness in crafting the aid created a wellspring for fraud and waste - a mess that hundreds of federal investigators are still trying to clean up. —Lisa Rein and Yeganeh Torbati, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Aug. 2022

Amanda, who went placidly amid the noise and haste up until that point, freaks out and throws a glass at Hannah. —Brian Moylan, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2021

These Green New Deals and Green Revolutions are increasingly being seen as the only solution to meeting the climate, corona and credit crises at the scale and haste that science and justice require. —Sophie Shnapp, refinery29.com, 5 Jan. 2021

If steady, mature Gerald Ford succumbed to haste when his presidency was on the line, imagine what Donald Trump will do. —Rick Perlstein, Star Tribune, 3 Sep. 2020

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English hǣst violence

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing haste

• make haste
• haste makes waste

Kids Definition

haste

1 of 2 noun

ˈhāst 

1

: rapidity of motion or action

2

: reckless action

3

: eagerness to act that is not proper or suitable

haste

2 of 2 verb

hasted; hasting

: hasten