hasten

verb

has·​ten ˈhā-sᵊn 

hastened; hastening ˈhā-sᵊn-iŋ 

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 door

—A. J. Cronin

2

: to cause to happen more quickly : accelerate

His death was hastened by alcoholism.

hasten the coming of a new order

—D. W. Brogan

hastener

ˈhā-sᵊn-ər 

ˈhās-nər

noun

Synonyms

• accelerate
• bundle
• fast-track
• hurry
• quicken
• rush
• speed (up)
• whisk

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

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

Word History

Etymology

see haste entry 1

First Known Use

1568, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Phrases Containing hasten

• hasten to add/say/explain (etc.)

Kids Definition

hasten

verb

has·​ten ˈhā-sᵊn 

hastened; hastening ˈhās-niŋ 

-ᵊn-iŋ

1

: to urge on

2

: to speed up : accelerate

hastened my steps

3

: to move or act quickly : hurry

hastener

ˈhās-nər 

-ᵊn-ər

noun