hurry

UK: /ˈhʌri/ US: /ˈhɜri, ˈhʌri/ ,(hûr′ē, hur′ē)

Inflections of 'hurry' (n): npl: hurries

Inflections of 'hurry' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

hurries

v 3rd person singular

hurrying

v pres p

hurried

v past

hurried

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

hur•ry /ˈhɜri, ˈhʌri/   v., -ried, -ry•ing, n. 
v. 

1. to (cause to) move, proceed, or act with haste: [no object]
   He hurried into town.
   [~ + to + verb]
   She hurried to help him when he fell.
   [~ + up]
   Could you please hurry up?
   [~ + object]
   The outfielder hurried his throw to first base.
2. to cause to be hasty;
   rush:
   [~ + object] We don't want to hurry them into a decision.

n. [uncountable]

3. a state of urgency or eagerness:
   There's no hurry; take your time.
4. hurried movement or action;
   haste.

Idioms

5. in a hurry:
   • quickly:
     She finished in a hurry.
   • wanting to act quickly:
     in a hurry to go home.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

hur•ry  (hûr′ē, hur′ē), v., -ried, -ry•ing, n., pl. -ries. 
v.i. 

1. to move, proceed, or act with haste (often fol. by up):
   Hurry, or we'll be late. Hurry up, it's starting to rain.

v.t. 

2. to drive, carry, or cause to move or perform with speed.
3. to hasten;
   urge forward (often fol. by up).
4. to impel or perform with undue haste:
   to hurry someone into a decision.

n. 

5. a state of urgency or eagerness:
   to be in a hurry to meet a train.
6. hurried movement or action;
   haste.

• expressive word of uncertain origin, originally, compare Middle English horyed (attested once) rushed, impelled, Middle High German hurren to move quickly 1580–90

hur′ry•ing•ly, adv. 
Synonyms

• 1. See rush ¹.
• 2. hasten.
• 3. accelerate, quicken; expedite, hustle.
• 6. celerity; expedition, dispatch; speed, quickness; bustle, ado.

Antonyms

• 3. delay, slow.
• 6. deliberation.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

hurry / ˈhʌrɪ/ verb ( -ries, -rying, -ried)

1. (intransitive) often followed by up: to hasten (to do something); rush
2. (transitive) often followed by along: to speed up the completion, progress, etc, of

noun

1. haste
2. urgency or eagerness
3. in a hurry ⇒ easily: you won't beat him in a hurry
4. willingly: we won't go there again in a hurry

Etymology: 16th Century horyen, probably of imitative origin; compare Middle High German hurren; see scurry