hastened; hastening
ˈhā-sᵊn-iŋ 
ˈhās-niŋ
: to move or act quickly
She hastened up the stairs.
1
: to encourage to move or act quickly : to urge on
hastened her to the door—
A. J. Cronin
A. J. Cronin2
: to cause to happen more quickly : accelerate
His death was hastened by alcoholism.
hasten the coming of a new order—D. W. Brogan
D. W. BroganExamples of hasten in a Sentence
His death was hastened by alcohol abuse.
hasten the activation of yeast with heat
Recent Examples on the Web
Thus, military operations intended to rescue hostages or pressure Hamas to agree to release them on Israel’s terms could actually hasten the death of the remaining hostages.
—Assaf Orion, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
But Democrats warn that would strike another blow against the Senate filibuster and hasten its future abolition.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 2 June 2025
The Day After, which was also shown in Russia and in Hiroshima, Japan — where the U.S. dropped an atom bomb on Aug. 6, 1945, hastening the end of World War II — had a lasting effect.
—Jeremy Helligar, People.com, 30 May 2025
Its thrashing of Hezbollah in Lebanon hastened the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Iran may be more open to concessions on its nuclear program after a wave of Israeli retaliatory strikes last year.
—Joseph Krauss, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hasten
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Assaf Orion, Foreign Affairs, 3 June 2025
But Democrats warn that would strike another blow against the Senate filibuster and hasten its future abolition.
—Alexander Bolton, The Hill, 2 June 2025
The Day After, which was also shown in Russia and in Hiroshima, Japan — where the U.S. dropped an atom bomb on Aug. 6, 1945, hastening the end of World War II — had a lasting effect.
—Jeremy Helligar, People.com, 30 May 2025
Its thrashing of Hezbollah in Lebanon hastened the downfall of Syrian President Bashar Assad, and Iran may be more open to concessions on its nuclear program after a wave of Israeli retaliatory strikes last year.
—Joseph Krauss, Los Angeles Times, 16 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for hasten
Cite this Entry
“Hasten.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hasten. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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