What does "hurry" mean?
A rushed action.
Hurry
/ˈhʌ.ɹi/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A rushed action.
- Grammar: hurry is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: haste, rush, accelerate, accelerated pace.
- Useful contrasts: calm vigor, completed activity sheet, deliberate decision.
- Usage evidence: Let's not be in too much of a hurry.
How to use "hurry"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hurry" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hurry" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hurry" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hurry" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hurry" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "haste" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hurry", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A rushed action. countable, uncountable
"Why are you in such a big hurry?"
- 2 the act of moving hurriedly and in a careless manner wordnet
- 3 An urgency. countable, uncountable
"There is no hurry on that paperwork."
- 4 overly eager speed (and possible carelessness) wordnet
- 5 An incidence of a defensive pressure that forces the quarterback to throw the ball earlier than intended or rush their decision, often leading to an incomplete pass or failed play. countable, uncountable
"At Alabama, Jedrick Wills Jr. anchored the right side of the offensive line for two years, allowing only one sack and three-and-a-half quarterback hurries on 714 snaps last season."
Show 2 more definitions
- 6 a condition of urgency making it necessary to hurry wordnet
- 7 A tremolando passage for violins, etc., accompanying an exciting situation. countable, uncountable
Verb
- 1 To do things quickly. intransitive
"He's hurrying because he's late."
- 2 urge to an unnatural speed wordnet
- 3 Often with up, to speed up the rate of doing something. intransitive
"If you don't hurry (up) you won't finish on time."
- 4 act at high speed wordnet
- 5 To cause to be done quickly. transitive
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 move very fast wordnet
- 7 To hasten; to impel to greater speed; to urge on. transitive
"the rapid Stream presently draws him in , carries him away , and hurries him down violently."
- 8 To impel to precipitate or thoughtless action; to urge to confused or irregular activity. transitive
"And wild amazement hurries up and down / The little number of your doubtful friends."
- 9 To put: to convey coal in the mine, e.g. from the working to the tramway.
"Elizabeth Day, aged seventeen […] "I have been nearly nine years in the pit. I trapped for two years when I first went, and have hurried ever since. I have hurried for my father until a year ago. I have to help to riddle and fill, […]"
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
calm vigorcompleted activity sheetdeliberate decisiondramatic stillness
Example
"Let's not be in too much of a hurry."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hurry"?
Common synonyms include: haste, rush, accelerate, accelerated pace, ado, agitation.
How do you use "hurry" in a sentence?
Let's not be in too much of a hurry.
How do you pronounce "hurry"?
Pronounced /ˈhʌ.ɹi/.
Etymology
From Middle English horien (“to rush, impel”), probably a variation of hurren (“to vibrate rapidly, buzz”), from Proto-Germanic *hurzaną (“to rush”) (compare Middle High German hurren (“to hasten”), Norwegian hurre (“to whirl around”)), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱers- (“to run”) (compare Latin currō (“I run”), Tocharian A kursär/Tocharian B kwarsär (“league; course”)). Related to hurr, horse, rush. Alternative etymology derives hurry as a variant of harry.