‘Hurry’ vs ‘In a Hurry’ and Their Synonyms

If you mix up ‘hurry’ and ‘in a hurry,’ this post will clear it up — plus give you a full list of hurry synonyms to use in speaking and writing.

1. ‘Hurry’ as a Verb

‘Hurry’ is a verb that means “to do things more quickly than normal” or “to make someone do this.”

You hurry when you don’t want to be late. If someone hurries, they may forget something.

In the past form, the verb changes to ‘hurried’: drop the ‘y’ and add ‘-ied,’ since it ends in a consonant + ‘y’.

Even though she hurried, she didn’t catch the train. (She was late for the train.)

There’s also a phrasal verb, ‘hurry up,’ that has the same meaning as ‘hurry.’

I need to hurry up or I’ll miss the train.

Other useful phrasal patterns:

Hurry along — please hurry along, we’re closing soon. Hurry through — he hurried through his homework to watch TV.

2. ‘Hurry’ as a Noun

What does ‘in a hurry’ mean, then? Here, ‘hurry’ is a noun, like ‘food’ or ‘cat.’

It’s most often used in the set expression ‘in a hurry.’ You can be in a hurry or do something in a hurry.

When you have plenty of time, you can say: “I’m in no hurry.”

Or you can ask someone who’s rushing you: “What’s the hurry? We’ve got plenty of time!”

Quick Comparison

Form	Part of Speech	Example
hurry	verb	Hurry, or we’ll be late!
hurry up	phrasal verb	Hurry up, the bus is coming!
in a hurry	noun phrase	She left in a hurry.
in no hurry	noun phrase	Take your time, I’m in no hurry.

3. Hurry Synonym List

If you keep using ‘hurry’ again and again in the same paragraph, your writing or speech can start to sound repetitive. That’s where a good hurry synonym comes in handy — it lets you say the same thing in a fresher, more natural way, depending on the tone you want.

Some synonyms are neutral and can be used in everyday conversation (like rush or dash), some are more formal and better suited for writing (like hasten or make haste), and others are casual expressions you’d only use with friends or family (like step on it or get a move on). Picking the right hurry synonym for the right situation is just as important as knowing the word itself — using hasten with a friend, for example, can sound stiff, while using step on it in a formal email would sound too casual.

Below is a full list of synonyms for ‘hurry,’ covering verbs, nouns, and everyday expressions, grouped by how formal or casual they are.

Rush

Works as both a verb and a noun, just like ‘hurry.’

Don’t rush me! I’m in a rush.

Rush Hour

A set expression describing the busy part of the day when everyone commutes to or from work. Usually singular, used with the prepositions ‘during,’ ‘in,’ and ‘at.’

You can face rush hour traffic. It’s never a good idea to go somewhere during rush hour.

Haste

A noun meaning excessive speed or urgency — doing something “in haste” means doing it too quickly, or “in a hurry.”

She didn’t want to marry in haste. In spite of all their haste, they didn’t have time to finish the decoration.

Hasty (adjective)

Describes something done too quickly, often without enough thought.

I don’t want to make a hasty decision — let’s think it over first. It was a hasty apology, and nobody really believed it.

Hastily (adverb)

Describes how an action is done — quickly, without proper care.

He hastily packed his bags and left. The report was written hastily and full of mistakes.

More Verb Synonyms

• Hasten — formal; to hurry or speed something up. She hastened to explain herself.
• Scurry — to move with quick, short steps, often out of nervousness. The mice scurried across the floor.
• Dash — to run or go somewhere suddenly and quickly. He dashed out of the room.
• Bolt — to move suddenly and very fast. The dog bolted through the gate.
• Race — to go somewhere very quickly, often competitively. She raced to catch the bus.
• Scramble — to move or act hurriedly, often with difficulty. They scrambled to finish the project on time.
• Speed up — to increase pace. Can you speed up? We’re running late.

Everyday Expressions

• Step on it — informal, often said to a driver. Step on it, we’re going to be late!
• Get a move on — informal, meaning “hurry up.” Get a move on, the movie starts in ten minutes!
• Make haste — old-fashioned/literary. Make haste, the ship is about to leave.

4. Antonyms — the Opposite of ‘Hurry’

Sometimes you need the opposite meaning: no rush at all.

• Take your time — There’s no deadline, take your time.
• At leisure — We spent the afternoon at leisure, with nothing to do.
• In no rush / in no hurry — Don’t worry, I’m in no rush.
• At a leisurely pace — They walked at a leisurely pace along the beach.

5. Quick Practice

Fill in the blanks with the correct word (hurry, in a hurry, hasty, hastily, rush hour):

1. I can’t talk right now, I’m ______.
2. Don’t make a ______ decision — think about it first.
3. The traffic was terrible because it was ______.
4. She ______ grabbed her coat and left.
5. Please ______, we’re going to miss the train!

(Answers: 1. in a hurry, 2. hasty, 3. rush hour, 4. hastily, 5. hurry)

Summary

• Hurry (verb) = to do something quickly / to make someone do something quickly.
• In a hurry (noun phrase) = the state of needing to be quick.
• Common hurry synonyms: rush, haste, hasten, scurry, dash, bolt, race, scramble, step on it, get a move on.
• Related forms: hasty (adjective), hastily (adverb).
• Opposite expressions: take your time, at leisure, in no hurry.