posthaste

1 of 3

noun

post·haste ˈpōst-ˈhāst

Synonyms of posthaste next

archaic

: great haste

posthaste

2 of 3

adverb

: with all possible speed

posthaste

3 of 3

adjective

obsolete

: speedy, immediate

requires your … posthaste appearance—

William Shakespeare

Did you know?

In the 16th century, the phrase "haste, post, haste" was used to inform posts (as couriers were then called) that a letter was urgent and must be hastily delivered. Posts would then speedily gallop along a route with a series of places at which to get a fresh horse or to relay the letter to a fresh messenger. William Shakespeare was one of the first to use a version of the phrase adverbially in Richard II. "Old John of Gaunt ... hath sent post haste / To entreat your Majesty to visit him," the Bard versified. He also used the phrase as an adjective (a use that is now obsolete) in Othello: "The Duke ... requires your haste-post-haste appearance," Lieutenant Cassio reports to the play's namesake. Today, the word still possesses a literary flair attributable to the Bard.

Example Sentences

Adverb ran posthaste for the doctor

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

A week later, at a meeting of the Library Association, Hatch reported that overdue books were being returned posthaste. —

Kevin Leonard, baltimoresun.com, 28 May 2021 Stick to paper towels for that task and toss them out posthaste. —

Paul Stephen, San Antonio Express-News, 13 Feb. 2021 Nor can activists install any sort of counter-monument without property management removing it posthaste. —

Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2020 For this reason, the City aspires to get everyone covered under the same umbrella posthaste. —

Sue Kiesewetter, The Enquirer, 13 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'posthaste.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.