hurry

1 of 2

verb

hur·​ry ˈhər-ē 

ˈhə-rē

hurried; hurrying

transitive verb

1

a

: to carry or cause to go with haste

hurry them to the hospital

b

: to impel to rash or precipitate action

… that hard-to-be-governed passion of youth hurried me frequently into intrigues with low women …

—Benjamin Franklin

2

a

: to impel to greater speed : prod

used spurs to hurry the horse

b

: expedite

asked them to hurry dinner

c

: to perform with undue haste

hurry a minuet

intransitive verb

: to move or act with haste

please hurry up

hurrier noun

hurrier

2 of 2

noun

hur·​ri·​er

|ēə(r)

plural -s

: one that hurries or causes to hurry

Synonyms of hurry

Verb

• rush
• accelerate
• push

Examples of hurry in a Sentence

Verb

Take your time. There's no need to hurry.

She hurried off to her class.

We hurried through the lesson so that we could finish early.

The teacher hurried us through the lesson.

They hurried the children off to bed.

The quarterback was forced to hurry his throw.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Ojeda’s said her boyfriend, Julio, hurried into the hall. —Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 6 June 2026

Gardner, the activist, hurried over, tapped Nereyda on the shoulder and pointed toward the pit. —Marisa Ingemi, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

The baseball team beat Calvin Christian 7-1, then hurried across the plaza at SDSU — about 50 yards — to cheer the girls on. —John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2026

But hurry — many colors are already selling out. —Jacqueline Tempera, PEOPLE, 31 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

perhaps from Middle English horyen

First Known Use

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Phrases Containing hurry

• hurry it up
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• hurry-up
• hurry up and wait
• in a hurry
• in no hurry
• not in any/a hurry

Rhymes for hurry

• blurry
• burry
• currie
• flurry
• furry
• murry
• scurry
• slurry
• worry

Kids Definition

hurry

1 of 2 verb

hur·​ry ˈhər-ē 

ˈhə-rē

hurried; hurrying

1

a

: to carry or cause to go with haste

hurry the child to the hospital

b

: to move or act with haste

had to hurry to arrive in time

2

a

: to urge on to greater speed : prod

b

: to hasten the doing of

hurry a repair job

hurrier noun

hurry

2 of 2 noun

plural hurries

1

: great speed

especially : unnecessary haste

2

: a state of eagerness or urgency : rush