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
Increasingly, young people in the United States and abroad are being recruited by extremist groups that conflate white supremacist ideology and violent action in order to hasten the collapse of society.
—Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Within weeks, the U.S. nuked the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hastening the end of World War II while killing more than 200,000 civilians.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Budget deficits necessitating layoffs, lower salaries and a more challenging environment have created a chronic teacher shortage that has exacerbated staff burnout and hastened retirements and defections to suburban districts.
—Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 2 July 2025
In a clinical trial, elderly people immobilized by arthritic knees, an impediment that hastens muscle wasting, experienced six-per-cent growth in their leg muscles.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 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.
Natalie Eilbert, jsonline.com, 7 Aug. 2025
Within weeks, the U.S. nuked the Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, hastening the end of World War II while killing more than 200,000 civilians.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 14 July 2025
Budget deficits necessitating layoffs, lower salaries and a more challenging environment have created a chronic teacher shortage that has exacerbated staff burnout and hastened retirements and defections to suburban districts.
—Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 2 July 2025
In a clinical trial, elderly people immobilized by arthritic knees, an impediment that hastens muscle wasting, experienced six-per-cent growth in their leg muscles.
—Tad Friend, New Yorker, 4 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 21 Aug. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share