hasten

American  

[hey-suhn] / ˈheɪ sən /

verb (used without object)

1. to move or act with haste; proceed with haste; hurry.

   to hasten to a place.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cause to hasten; accelerate.

   to hasten someone from a room; to hasten the arrival of a happier time.

   Synonyms:

   precipitate , speed , quicken , expedite , press , urge

hasten British  

/ ˈheɪsən /

verb

1. (may take an infinitive) to hurry or cause to hurry; rush

2. (tr) to be anxious (to say something)

   I hasten to add that we are just good friends

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Usage

What does hasten mean? Hasten means to go faster or cause to go faster.Hasten often sounds a bit formal. More informal phrases like speed up and hurry up can be used to mean the same thing and are more commonly used.Hasten is often used in the context of saying that efforts to achieve some kind of goal need to be accelerated (done faster), as in We need to hasten our efforts to address climate change. To hasten something’s demise is to make it fail more quickly.The related noun haste most commonly refers to urgency, such as in completing a task. It can also be used as another word for speed or swiftness, as in We have to move with haste if we want to make it on time. The phrase make haste means to move quickly, hurry up, or rush.Example: This report highlights the fact that we need to hasten our efforts to eradicate this disease.

Other Word Forms

• hastener noun
• outhasten verb (used with object)
• overhasten verb
• unhastened adjective

Etymology

Origin of hasten

First recorded in 1565–75; haste + -en ¹

Example Sentences

Yet prices remain on track for their largest yearly loss since the pandemic, due in part to major oil producers hastening their plans to boost production.

From MarketWatch

Local residents had complained that exploration work had contaminated the water supply, threatened tourism and risked hastening the melting of glaciers, Kyrgyz media reported earlier this year.

From Barron's

Ravel’s death in 1937 was hastened by a rare form of dementia that robbed him of the ability to compose.

From The Wall Street Journal

The German government just approved a list of measures to cut red tape that should hasten deployment.

From Barron's

Unclear though is whether China will grant licenses to U.S. defense companies and if the U.S. will hasten licenses filed by U.S. companies selling chips to China that are subject to export controls.

From Barron's

Related Words

• accelerate
• expedite
• precipitate
• quicken
• step up
• urge