hasten

verb

has·​ten ˈhā-sᵊn How to pronounce hasten (audio)
hastened; hastening ˈhā-sᵊn-iŋ How to pronounce hasten (audio)
ˈhās-niŋ

intransitive verb

: to move or act quickly
She hastened up the stairs.

transitive verb

1
: to encourage to move or act quickly : to urge on
hastened her to the doorA. J. Cronin
2
: to cause to happen more quickly : accelerate
His death was hastened by alcoholism.
hasten the coming of a new orderD. W. Brogan
hastener
ˈhā-sᵊn-ər How to pronounce hasten (audio)
ˈhās-nər
noun

Examples of hasten in a Sentence

His death was hastened by alcohol abuse. hasten the activation of yeast with heat
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
At the same time, Trump's tax cut would likely hasten the insolvency of the Social Security trust fund, which relies on those income taxes for funding, according to the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 5 Nov. 2024 Trump’s smorgasbord of tax proposals are poised to hasten Social Security’s insolvency, according to a recent report by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. William Gavin, Quartz, 30 Oct. 2024 The Apprentice suggests that Cohn hastened whatever rot was already present in his protégé, but its early scenes portray the opposite—that Trump, at his core, was simply naive. Shirley Li, The Atlantic, 11 Oct. 2024 Their deaths were felt by many to have been hastened by their workloads, and the myriad pressures levied on the young, gifted, and Black. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for hasten 

Word History

Etymology

see haste entry 1

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of hasten was in 1568

Cite this Entry

“Hasten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hasten. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

hasten

verb
has·​ten ˈhā-sᵊn How to pronounce hasten (audio)
hastened; hastening ˈhās-niŋ How to pronounce hasten (audio)
-ᵊn-iŋ
1
: to urge on
2
: to speed up : accelerate
hastened my steps
3
: to move or act quickly : hurry
hastener
ˈhās-nər How to pronounce hasten (audio)
-ᵊn-ər
noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hasten

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!