Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun Rapidity of action or motion.
  • noun Rash or headlong action; precipitateness.
  • intransitive & transitive verb To hasten or cause to hasten.
  • idiom (make haste) To move or act swiftly; hurry.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • Same as hasten: now chiefly in poetical use.
  • noun Celerity, primarily of voluntary motion; speed in general; swiftness in doing something; despatch; expedition.
  • noun Too great celerity of action; unwise, unnecessary, or unseemly quickness; precipitancy.
  • noun The state of being pressed for time, or of having little time to spare; hurry; eager desire to accomplish something in a limited time: as, to be in great haste to finish a letter.
  • noun Synonyms Haste, hurry (see hasten); nimbleness, rapidity.
  • To roast.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun Celerity of motion; speed; swiftness; dispatch; expedition; -- applied only to voluntary beings, as men and other animals.
  • noun The state of being urged or pressed by business; hurry; urgency; sudden excitement of feeling or passion; precipitance; vehemence.
  • noun to hasten.
  • verb Archaic To hasten; to hurry.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A speedy or quick action. (e.g. We were running late so we finished our meal in haste)
  • verb transitive To urge onward; to hasten
  • verb intransitive To move with haste.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry
  • noun overly eager speed (and possible carelessness)
  • noun the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English, from Old French, of Germanic origin.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Blend of Middle English hasten (verb), (compare Dutch haasten, German hasten, Danish haste, Swed. hasta "to hasten, rush") and Middle English hast (noun) "haste" from Old French haste (French: hâte) from Frankish haist, haifst, violence . Akin to Old Frisian hāst, hāste "haste", Old English hǣst "violence", Old English hǣste "violent, impetuous, vehement", Old Norse heift/heipt ("feud"), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃𐍄𐍃 (haifsts, "rivalry"). Cognate with German and Danish heftig ("vehement").

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Examples

  • I probably should've proofread that as writing angry rants in haste is never a good thing, but I've never been this frustrated when dealing with an online store.

    Free AudioBook: Sun of Suns by Karl Schroeder 2009

  • And when Kamar al-Zaman saw the two, he rose to his father in haste from the couch whereon he sat and kissing his hands drew back and hung down his head and stood before him with his arms behind him, and thus remained for a full hour.

    The Book of The Thousand Nights And A Night 2006

  • Gabriel Le Noir came in haste from the military post where he had been stationed.

    The Hidden Hand 1888

  • "Hatred is by far the longest pleasure; Men love in haste, but they detest at leisure."

    Titanic 3D Coming Spring 2012? Plans for a Possible Avatar Extended Cut Theatrical Rerelease? | /Film 2010

  • From her scuppers she ran clear water, and the men were in haste and worked hard at the pumps.

    An Odyssey of the North 2010

  • Sorry: I typed in haste, and Kenneth Cranham just died in face, while his garden hose sprayed on, a symbol of man's essential meaninglessness in the great sweep of time.

    Watch Layer Cake: live! Michael Hann 2010

  • And between this and the smells arising from various pots boiling and bubbling on the galley fire, I was in haste to get out into the fresh air.

    Chapter 2 2010

  • When ones is in haste, one would hardly notice the fine intricacies of such trifles but when one slows down enough, as they say, to smell the roses, things happen.

    THE VIRGINS OF MORELIA? 2009

  • And not knowing that Ty-Kwan had disposed of them in haste so that his own people might not have to render account to the Government, Hooniah's pride was unshaken.

    THE MASTER OF MYSTERY 2010

  • "Be not in haste," Canim cautioned her, as she began to strap the meagre camp outfit to her pack.

    LI-WAN, THE FAIR 2010

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