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

Cummins was in danger of missing the series because of a back injury but hastened his rehabilitation to return in Adelaide.

From BBC

Natural gas from shale hastened the demise of coal, and China’s solar manufacturing build-out slashed the cost of panels.

From The Wall Street Journal

These efforts allegedly hastened the downfall of Terraform after some aggressive trading firms used that information to trade against the stablecoin and its sister token, Luna.

From The Wall Street Journal

Still, Ramsey hastened to clarify that he doesn’t want every tenant to rush into buying a home—but rather for them to understand that renting cannot be considered a “forever plan.”

From MarketWatch

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

Related Words

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