make haste

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

haste /heɪst/   n. [uncountable]

1. unnecessarily quick action;
   thoughtless speed:
   Haste makes waste.

Idioms

2. Idioms make haste, [no obj] to hasten;
   hurry.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

haste  (hāst), n., v., hast•ed, hast•ing. 
n. 

1. swiftness of motion;
   speed;
   celerity:
   He performed his task with great haste. They felt the need for haste.
2. urgent need of quick action;
   a hurry or rush:
   to be in haste to get ahead in the world.
3. unnecessarily quick action;
   thoughtless, rash, or undue speed:
   Haste makes waste.
4. Idioms make haste, to act or go with speed;
   hurry:
   She made haste to tell the president the good news.

v.i., v.t. 

5. [Archaic.] to hasten.

• Gmc; akin to Old Frisian hāste, Old English hæst violence, Old Norse heifst hatred, Gothic haifsts quarrel
• Old French
• Middle English 1250–1300

haste′ful, adj. 
haste′ful•ly, adv. 
haste′less, adj. 
haste′less•ness, n. 
Synonyms

• 1. See speed. 
• 2. flurry, bustle, ado, urgency.
• 3. precipitancy, precipitation.

Antonyms

• 1. sloth.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

haste / heɪst/ noun

1. speed, esp in an action; swiftness; rapidity
2. the act of hurrying in a careless or rash manner
3. a necessity for hurrying; urgency
4. make haste ⇒ to hurry; rush

verb

1. a poetic word for hasten

Etymology: 14th Century: from Old French haste, of Germanic origin; compare Old Norse heifst hate, Old English hǣst strife, Old High German heisti powerful