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

Or, Sumner told me, the measure could hasten the death of the lamb industry altogether. —Marina Bolotnikova, Vox, 10 Oct. 2024

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also publicly pressured the Biden administration to hasten arms transfers. —Brett Murphy, ProPublica, 4 Oct. 2024

Good Business Pays’ biannual reports are intended to put pressure on major companies to hasten their payment practices to small businesses in the absence of government legislation forcing them to do so. —Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 3 Oct. 2024

Both involve a subject who has decided to hasten an inevitable and imminent death and has requested help in doing so. —Anna Giorgi, Verywell Health, 2 Oct. 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