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
Women sometimes drank a tea of juneberry twigs and stems to recover from childbirth, and a tonic made from the plant’s bark was thought to hasten the discharge of the placenta.
—The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2025
That was the point where Sunderland began to fall off the Premier League cliff-edge, and Ndong was a deadweight to hasten their demise.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 17 June 2025
The book, which Wilson himself later disavowed, may have hastened a legal battle between Landy and Wilson’s family, including his brother Carl, over the musician’s conservatorship.
—Chris Morris, Variety, 11 June 2025
The city already has $1.4 million set aside for the tearing down of the bunker-like structure — now in advanced decay, hastened in recent years by vandalism and looting.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 June 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.
The Editors, JSTOR Daily, 27 June 2025
That was the point where Sunderland began to fall off the Premier League cliff-edge, and Ndong was a deadweight to hasten their demise.
—The Athletic Uk Staff, New York Times, 17 June 2025
The book, which Wilson himself later disavowed, may have hastened a legal battle between Landy and Wilson’s family, including his brother Carl, over the musician’s conservatorship.
—Chris Morris, Variety, 11 June 2025
The city already has $1.4 million set aside for the tearing down of the bunker-like structure — now in advanced decay, hastened in recent years by vandalism and looting.
—Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 5 June 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 3 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share