haste

1 of 2

noun

1
: rapidity of motion : swiftness
out of breath from hasteJane Austen
We must make haste.
2
: rash or headlong action : precipitateness
She sent the letter in haste and later regretted it.
the beauty of speed uncontaminated by hasteHarper's
3
: undue eagerness to act
In their haste to leave for the airport, they forgot their passports.

haste

2 of 2

verb

hasted; hasting

transitive verb

archaic : to urge on : hasten
with our fair entreaties haste them onWilliam Shakespeare
haste thee, nymph, and bring with thee jest and youthful jollityJohn Milton

intransitive verb

: to move or act swiftly
these minutes even now hasting into eternityWinston Churchill
Choose the Right Synonym for haste

haste, hurry, speed, expedition, dispatch mean quickness in movement or action.

haste applies to personal action and implies urgency and precipitancy and often rashness.

marry in haste

hurry often has a strong suggestion of agitated bustle or confusion.

in the hurry of departure she forgot her toothbrush

speed suggests swift efficiency in movement or action.

exercises to increase your reading speed

expedition and dispatch both imply speed and efficiency in handling affairs but expedition stresses ease or efficiency of performance and dispatch stresses promptness in concluding matters.

the case came to trial with expedition
paid bills with dispatch

Examples of haste in a Sentence

Noun The application had been approved with undue haste. made haste to get there on time
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
The lengthy national security bill – the first draft ran to 212 pages – was rushed through the city’s opposition-less Legislative Council with unusual haste at the request of city leader John Lee and debated over just 11 days. Chris Lau, CNN, 19 Mar. 2024 As a result, all 50 of the accommodations that dot the perimeter of the island have been carefully set back from the oceanfront so as not to disrupt the animals that rely on being able to nip from sea to jungle with haste. Liam Hess, Vogue, 15 Mar. 2024 Purchases made in haste will be a waste as the moon and Venus clash. USA TODAY, 15 Mar. 2024 Mild days and a lack of freezing nights have allowed the buds to progress through the first half of the bloom cycle with unusual haste. Jason Samenow, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024 This is an area that many of the technology titans in their haste to bring new innovations to market are risking reputational brand profile, not only is this true for Google with its second misstep with Gemini, but also for the entire AI industry. Cindy Gordon, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Though the court has no timeline for issuing a decision, most observers think the nine justices will act with relative haste given that the presidential campaign is in full swing, with primaries underway. Nick Coltrain, The Denver Post, 7 Feb. 2024 The primary challenge in succession planning arises when decisions are made in haste or out of immediate necessity. Satyen Raja, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 Occasionally the haste shows; a few of these pieces end up in the weeds. Dwight Garner, New York Times, 1 Jan. 2024
Verb
Should this pocket-size French import be legal to park in your driveway, make all haste to bid. Brendan McAleer, Car and Driver, 17 Nov. 2022 But haste and carelessness in crafting the aid created a wellspring for fraud and waste - a mess that hundreds of federal investigators are still trying to clean up. Lisa Rein and Yeganeh Torbati, Anchorage Daily News, 25 Aug. 2022 Amanda, who went placidly amid the noise and haste up until that point, freaks out and throws a glass at Hannah. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 25 Feb. 2021 These Green New Deals and Green Revolutions are increasingly being seen as the only solution to meeting the climate, corona and credit crises at the scale and haste that science and justice require. Sophie Shnapp, refinery29.com, 5 Jan. 2021 If steady, mature Gerald Ford succumbed to haste when his presidency was on the line, imagine what Donald Trump will do. Rick Perlstein, Star Tribune, 3 Sep. 2020

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'haste.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Old English hǣst violence

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of haste was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near haste

Cite this Entry

“Haste.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/haste. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

haste

1 of 2 noun
1
: rapidity of motion or action
2
: reckless action
3
: eagerness to act that is not proper or suitable

haste

2 of 2 verb
hasted; hasting
: hasten

More from Merriam-Webster on haste

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