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. BroganExamples of hasten in a Sentence
His death was hastened by alcohol abuse.
hasten the activation of yeast with heat
Recent Examples on the Web
The aforementioned masks, for instance, hasten strange visions for Blakey, but the film’s hard boundary between his dreams and waking life sap these sequences of all tension.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
This not only proves fruitless, but the probes seem to be hastening the closing of the wormhole.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
They could also be set to task curing disease, discovering new technologies, and hastening the global transition to a green economy, according to their most optimistic proponents.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 27 Aug. 2025
At the time, conventional wisdom was that reducing inflammation, along with resting, would reduce pain and hasten healing.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hasten
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
This not only proves fruitless, but the probes seem to be hastening the closing of the wormhole.
—Keith Phipps, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2025
They could also be set to task curing disease, discovering new technologies, and hastening the global transition to a green economy, according to their most optimistic proponents.
—Billy Perrigo, Time, 27 Aug. 2025
At the time, conventional wisdom was that reducing inflammation, along with resting, would reduce pain and hasten healing.
—Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN Money, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for hasten
Cite this Entry
“Hasten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hasten. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share