hurry
Americanverb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
noun
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a state of urgency or eagerness.
to be in a hurry to meet a train.
-
hurried movement or action; haste.
- Antonyms:
- deliberation
verb
-
to hasten (to do something); rush
-
to speed up the completion, progress, etc, of
noun
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haste
-
urgency or eagerness
-
informal
-
easily
you won't beat him in a hurry
-
willingly
we won't go there again in a hurry
-
Synonym Usage
See rush 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
has hurriedperfect 3rd person singular
-
have hurriedperfect
-
am hurryingprogressive 1st person singular
-
are hurryingprogressive
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hurryingparticiple
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hurriessingular 3rd person
-
is hurryingprogressive 3rd person singular
-
have been hurryingperfect progressive
-
has been hurryingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had hurriedperfect
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hurriedparticiple
-
were hurryingprogressive plural
-
had been hurryingperfect progressive
-
was hurryingprogressive singular
-
hurriedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of hurry
First recorded in 1580–90; expressive word of uncertain origin, compare Middle English horyed (attested once) “rushed, impelled,” Middle High German hurren “to move quickly”
Explanation
To hurry is to rush, or to move quickly. If you're late for a movie and you don't want to miss the beginning, you'll have to hurry into the theater, not stopping to buy popcorn. When you're out for a walk and the sun begins to set, you might hurry home before it gets dark — in other words, move rapidly, or in haste. You can also hurry someone else, encouraging them to speed up. Your math teacher may criticize your sloppy work by commenting, "Looks like you were in a hurry." Hurry is one of many words that were invented by William Shakespeare, who used it frequently.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Fed watchers will be listening closely Friday to see how Trump responds to a Fed that appears to be in no hurry to adjust rates.
From MarketWatch • May 18, 2026
Roberts did not tell us why he is suddenly in a hurry, but none of the possibilities are good ones.
From Slate • May 13, 2026
Still, he said, eBay shouldn’t be in a hurry to sell itself since it is doing just fine on its own.
From Barron's • May 6, 2026
Ashton is a man in a hurry - a firm believer that if you don't make progress fast, you will be overtaken by rivals.
From BBC • May 2, 2026
But he was not in half the hurry I was to get away from that room.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
