haste

[ heyst ]

noun

1. swiftness of motion; speed; celerity:

   He performed his task with great haste. They felt the need for haste.

   Antonyms: sloth

2. urgent need of quick action; a hurry or rush:

   to be in haste to get ahead in the world.

   Synonyms: urgency, ado, bustle, flurry

3. unnecessarily quick action; thoughtless, rash, or undue speed:

   Haste makes waste.

   Synonyms: precipitation, precipitancy

verb (used with or without object)

, hast·ed, hast·ing.

1. Archaic. to hasten.

haste

/ heɪst /

noun

1. speed, esp in an action; swiftness; rapidity
2. the act of hurrying in a careless or rash manner
3. a necessity for hurrying; urgency
4. make haste
   make haste to hurry; rush

verb

1. See hasten
   a poetic word for hasten

Derived Forms

• ˈhasteful, adjective
• ˈhastefully, adverb

Other Words From

• hasteful adjective
• hasteful·ly adverb
• hasteless adjective
• hasteless·ness noun
• un·hasted adjective
• un·hasting adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of haste¹

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French from Germanic; akin to Old Frisian hāste, Old English hæst “violence,” Old Norse heifst “hatred,” Gothic haifsts “quarrel”

Word History and Origins

Origin of haste¹

C14: from Old French haste, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse heifst hate, Old English hǣst strife, Old High German heisti powerful

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. make haste, to act or go with speed; hurry:

   She made haste to tell the president the good news.

More idioms and phrases containing haste

In addition to the idiom beginning with haste , also see make haste .

Synonym Study

See speed.

Example Sentences

These enterprises clearly have accomplished a lot in their short lives, but in their haste, most have not captured their history, unlike their longer-lived peers in other sectors.

From TechCrunch

Obviously, there is a plan, even if it is one constructed in haste during Hurney and Mayhew’s first days on the job.

From Washington Post

Murdock says that the Diamond rockwall in Rocky Mountain National Park saw it’s busiest season ever, and it’s possible that the increased use could lead climbers to choose a less-familiar route or skip safe practices in their haste.

From Popular-Science

Don’t be in a haste to rank a rank that will truncate your well-planned efforts.

From Search Engine Watch

If you go after low domain authority sites in the interest of haste, you risk hurting your SEO.

From Search Engine Watch

Was her coronation as the future queen of pop soul made in haste?

From The Daily Beast

The Cheneys exhibit indecent haste in their attempt at rep rehab.

From The Daily Beast

I knew instantly the statement really was a threat, and why it was passed on with such haste.

From The Daily Beast

In their haste the government wranglers also damaged precious water resources Bundy had worked years to develop.

From The Daily Beast

He showed no signs of haste, nor of fatigue, nor of any human feeling.

From The Daily Beast

Nearly half the regiment ran to secure their picketed horses, armed themselves in hot haste, and galloped to the gaol.

From Project Gutenberg

Here there is no question of emergency, or enemy pressure, or of haste; so much we see plain enough with our own eyes.

From Project Gutenberg

News came that the rebels were plundering the British quarters, and the infantry went there in hot haste.

From Project Gutenberg

Here were the sources (in part) of the Po and of the Rhine, but I was rather in haste to bid the former good-bye.

From Project Gutenberg

Make haste, Mr. Lowten,” Perker called out, “we shall have the panels beaten in.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• alacrity
• urgency

More About Haste

What does haste mean?

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.

Often, haste means urgency or speed that is careless or reckless. This is how the word is used in the expression haste makes waste, which means that rushing things leads to mistakes.

The adjective form hasty is most often used in this sense—a hasty decision is one that is thought to have been made too quickly, perhaps leading to negative consequences. The adverb form is hastily.

The verb hasten means to go faster or cause to go faster, as in We need to hasten our efforts.

Example: In my haste to finish the project, I forgot to put my name on it.

Where does haste come from?

The first records of the word haste come from the 1200s. It’s related to the Old English hæst, “violence,” the Old Norse heifst, “hatred,” the Gothic haifsts, “quarrel,” and the Old High German heisti, “powerful.”

Haste is most often used in a negative way, but not as negative as a word like hatred. Most of the time, haste implies that something was simply done too fast, leading to mistakes.

Did you know ... ?

What are some other forms related to haste?

• hasty (adjective)
• hastily (adverb)
• hasteful (adjective)
• hastefully (adverb)
• hasten (verb)

What are some synonyms for haste?

• urgency
• speed
• swiftness
• rapidity
• celerity

What are some words that share a root or word element with haste? 

• make haste
• haste makes waste
• posthaste

What are some words that often get used in discussing haste?

• hurry
• rush
• careless
• reckless
• mistake
• make
• waste

How is haste used in real life?

Haste is less commonly used than many of its synonyms, such as urgency.

When I'm checking out a restaurant's menu online, I find that I scroll past the salad section with some haste.

— Tim Foust (@TimFoustMusic) January 30, 2017

In my haste to get to the Convention Centre from the Dáil on Thursday evening I forgot to bring a shirt. It was either go cycling top or not speak at all. I chose to speak about a very important matter. That’s what matters, not what you happen to wear. Up the Reds!! pic.twitter.com/Ekg8dsEDk1

— Gino Kenny TD (@Ginosocialist) November 28, 2020

Today's the last day we're accepting submissions for our identity issue—if you have something you'd like to send us, make haste! ☀️☀️☀️

— The Open Culture Collective (@tocc_) November 30, 2020

 

 

Try using haste!

Which of the following words is NOT a synonym of haste?

A. speed
B. rapidity
C. thoroughness
D. urgency