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
• rush
• push

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

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has portrayed the attack as a peacemaking action that could hasten the end of the war. —Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 10 Sep. 2025

For Gorbachev, the Iceland summit hastened the end of his country. —Celeste A. Wallander, Foreign Affairs, 9 Sep. 2025

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

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.)

Rhymes for hasten

• basin
• caisson
• chasten
• jason
• capsaicin
• freemason
• stonemason
• subbasin
• washbasin
• indomethacin

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