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
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to hasten (to do something); rush
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to speed up the completion, progress, etc, of
noun
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haste
-
urgency or eagerness
-
informal
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easily
you won't beat him in a hurry
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willingly
we won't go there again in a hurry
-
Synonym Usage
See rush 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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hurrysimple
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hurriessimple
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have hurriedperfect
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has hurriedperfect
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am hurryingprogressive
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are hurryingprogressive
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is hurryingprogressive
-
have been hurryingperfect progressive
-
has been hurryingperfect progressive
Past
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hurriedsimple
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had hurriedperfect
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was hurryingprogressive
-
were hurryingprogressive
-
had been hurryingperfect progressive
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.
And once the IPO hype cools and lockup periods expire, reality tends to show up in a hurry.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 25, 2026
But be warned that many spreadsheets go from green to red in a hurry when prices drop.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 31, 2026
"By about 22:20 we were escorted back to our houses, I got a bag out and they were knocking on the door saying hurry up. I've got very little with me."
From BBC • May 30, 2026
Nevertheless, President Trump said in a Truth Social post on Sunday that he was in no hurry to agree to a deal.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 25, 2026
“Sadako is always in such a hurry to be first that she never stops to listen,” she said.
From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr
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.
