What does hasten mean?
Hasten means to act with unusual speed or urgency, as in “The train was delayed, so we hastened to the station.” It can also be used transitively to mean that something is made to happen sooner: new evidence may hasten a decision, or unusually warm weather can hasten the growth of crops. The word is common in English across Britain and the United States, appearing in everyday conversation as well as in formal reports, journalism, and official announcements. Its connotations include urgency and, sometimes, pressure or alarm, but it remains less dramatic than words such as panic or frantic. Hasten is especially useful when describing both rapid human action and the accelerated timing of a process. It is related etymologically to haste, hasty, and hastily, all of which reflect the same Germanic idea of speed and urgency.
verbTo move or act with great speed or urgency; to hurry. It can also mean to cause something to happen sooner.
- To move or act with speed or urgency.
- To cause something to happen sooner.
"The authorities issued a warning to hasten the release of emergency supplies."
"We must hasten if we are to arrive before the meeting begins."
"The new evidence helped hasten the government’s decision to investigate."
Hasten is an old Germanic speed word: it began as a way to describe urgency, so its modern force still carries a hint of pressure or alarm.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does hasten come from?
Hasten developed through Middle English from Old English hāstian, meaning “to hurry” or “be urgent.” The Old English verb was related to hāst, meaning “haste” or “urgency,” which is the source of modern haste and its derivatives such as hasty and hastily. The word belongs to the Germanic family of languages and has no direct Latin origin.
Related word forms
How hasten is actually used
Hasten is neutral in register but often sounds slightly formal. It can suggest urgency, and its transitive use—to hasten a process or outcome—is especially common in formal and journalistic writing.
Easily confused with hasten
Hasten means to hurry or cause something to happen sooner, whereas fasten means to secure something, such as a belt, door, or package.