verb
hasten
HAY-sn
verb
1
To move or act quickly, or to make something happen sooner.
"She hastened to explain that it was all a misunderstanding."
"Poor diet can hasten the onset of illness."
How to Use Hasten
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo speed up — either yourself moving faster, or causing some event to arrive earlier than it would have.
Common pairings
hasten to add
hasten the process
hasten someone's recovery
Word Forms
hastened past tense, Hastens plural, hastens singular
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She _____ to explain that it was all a misunderstanding.
Etymology
Formed from "haste" plus the verb-forming suffix "-en," on the pattern of words like "sweeten" or "loosen."