hasten

[hey-suhn]

verb (used without object)

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

   to hasten to a place.

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

/ 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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of hasten¹

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

Related Words

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

When To Use

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.