hurry

American  

[hur-ee, huhr-ee] / ˈhɜr i, ˈhʌr i /

verb (used without object)

hurried, hurrying

1. to move, proceed, or act with haste (often followed byup ).

   Hurry, or we'll be late. Hurry up, it's starting to rain.

---

verb (used with object)

hurried, hurrying

1. to drive, carry, or cause to move or perform with speed.

   Synonyms:

   hasten

2. to hasten; urge forward (often followed byup ).

   Synonyms:

   hustle, expedite, quicken, accelerate

   Antonyms:

   slow, delay

3. to impel or perform with undue haste.

   to hurry someone into a decision.

noun

hurries plural

1. a state of urgency or eagerness.

   to be in a hurry to meet a train.

2. hurried movement or action; haste.

   Synonyms:

   ado, bustle, quickness, speed, dispatch, expedition, celerity

   Antonyms:

   deliberation

hurry British  

/ ˈhʌrɪ /

verb

1. to hasten (to do something); rush

2. to speed up the completion, progress, etc, of

---

noun

1. haste

2. urgency or eagerness

3. informal

   1. easily

      you won't beat him in a hurry

   2. willingly

      we won't go there again in a hurry

Related Words

See rush ¹.

Other Word Forms

• hurrying
  noun
• hurryingly
  adverb
• overhurry
  verb
• unhurrying
  adjective
• unhurryingly
  adverb

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

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

Shutting in wells in a hurry can damage them, or make the restart process too difficult.

From Barron's • May 6, 2026

However, Magyar is in a hurry and his new government will have its work cut out to meet those conditions in a short space of time.

From BBC • Apr. 29, 2026

Russell stuck his arm out the window, leaving it outstretched as we motored past huge lots—some gated and stately, others cluttered with buildings that appeared to have been thrown together in a hurry.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

Related Words

• dash
• hasten
• hustle
• jog
• rush
• scoot
• scurry
• whirl
• whisk
• zip