hasten

verb

has·ten | \ ˈhā-sᵊn

hastened; hastening\ ˈhās-niŋ

, ˈhā-sᵊn-iŋ \

Definition of hasten

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

Other Words from hasten Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about hasten

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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

Wow's contagious business model hastened its unraveling. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "Are the Discount Airlines Doomed?," 29 Mar. 2019 The Saudis, Goldwyn said, are also loathe to create economic conditions that would accelerate shifts to electric vehicles, hastening the obsolescence of their primary export. — Clifford Krauss, The Seattle Times, "Saudis issued warnings against U.S. sanctions. But how much leverage do they have?," 16 Oct. 2018 The idea of selling the Jackson Graham Building has been floated for years, but Albert said its hastening deterioration means that the transit agency must take action now. — Martine Powers, Washington Post, "Metro seeks buyer for downtown D.C. headquarters," 12 July 2018 The fatal crash of Air France Flight 4950 in the year 2000 also hastened the aircraft's end. — Sam Blum, Popular Mechanics, "The Concorde's Iconic 'Droop Nose' Is Being Fully Restored," 8 Feb. 2019 Removing the last barriers to unfair competition will only hasten that process. — Farhad Manjoo, New York Times, "How Net Neutrality Actually Ended Long Before This Week," 11 June 2018 Local investor sentiment appears to be brightening, with a growing sense that battered stocks look cheap and that China’s trade brawl with the U.S. could hasten reforms. — Shen Hong, WSJ, "Trade and Yuan Cloud Outlook for Chinese Markets," 30 Dec. 2018 Five have died in this past year from causes ranging from heart failure to cancer, but advocates insist that the very flights that keep the patients alive have hastened their deaths. — Danica Coto, The Seattle Times, "A year after Maria, Puerto Rican kidney patients fear death," 18 Sep. 2018 In November, Farhad Manjoo argued in his New York Times column that the internet had already been dying a slow death and that the repeal of net neutrality rules would only hasten its demise. — Keith Collins, BostonGlobe.com, "The repeal of net neutrality is official. Here’s how that could affect you," 11 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hasten.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.