hurry
Americanverb (used without object)
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hurries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hurried,
past participle, past
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hurrying
present participle
verb (used with object)
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hurries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
hurried,
past participle, past
-
hurrying
present participle
noun
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hurries
plural
-
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
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has been hurryingperfect progressive
Past
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hurriedsimple
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had hurriedperfect
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was hurryingprogressive
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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.
See Examples For:
Sherratt said he heard Mogan shout something along the lines of "hurry up" and saw Semenyo turn towards him.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
They do not need to hurry anyone off the injured list so they can squeak out another National League West title.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
Around the station, people who are still waiting for trains hurry to a pedestrian underpass that doubles as a shelter.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
In Zvirynets—once the hunting grounds of medieval princes, now a leafy upscale neighborhood—residents hurry to the subway station.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
So I hurry toward the pink building and stand beneath the little fabric cover extending from above the door and windows.
From "The Wrong Way Home" by Kate O’Shaughnessy
Centennial has dealt with a lot of injuries to the offensive line this season, which allowed Mater Dei to get multiple sacks and hurries on Jefferson.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 12, 2026
Running 83 minutes, the movie is Mr. Hara and Ms. Kobayashi’s shortest effort in this set, yet it hurries nothing, its proud participants detailing their daily challenges and hopes for societal accommodations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 26, 2026
Rosa hurries to her aunt's house, hoping to catch the last of the daylight.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2025
Each hurries forth into the night, headed somewhere we can’t possibly know in a world full of uncertainty.
From Salon ● Jan. 25, 2025
But Baldwin hikes up his pants and hurries to catch up with him.
From "The Inquisitor's Tale" by Adam Gidwitz
Procedures can be hurried to meet certain deadlines, like the end of a league season.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
“There’s a degree of anxiety, especially those who were hurried out of their homes at dawn,” said Mike Evemy, leader of the local district council.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 28, 2026
They’ve researched history and the law, war-gamed what-ifs, divvied up responsibilities and drafted emergency lawsuits and temporary restraining orders so they can be hurried into court at a moment’s notice.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 27, 2026
Now it means not being hurried, spending time with my family, control over my schedule, and intellectual independence.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 9, 2026
Rounding the corner, I hurried up the narrow stairs toward the second floor.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
So they had; and so they did the transcontinental, battering it through the high passes of the Sierra Nevada and then, far more quickly, hurrying toward the head of the Union Pacific’s tracks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
Bourses on the continent are hurrying to increase their competitiveness in an increasingly U.S.-dominated market.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
We would play on until the light started to fade, which indicated it was time to head home - again, I don't ever recall my mum or dad hurrying me in!
From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026
The following day, a 30-year-old ski patroller named Cole Murphy was with a team of colleagues hurrying to clear the freshly fallen snow from a series of expert slopes known, appropriately, as the Avalanche Chutes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 6, 2026
Even the few people still out at this hour could sense it, hurrying past and making a point to keep closer to the road.
From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny
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