Hurry up meaning
Hurry up means to do something or move more quickly. It can also mean to make someone or something go faster.
hurry up
hurry up · hurried · hurrying
Hurry up! The bus is coming.
Hurry up meanings and examples
2 meanings, each with its own CEFR level from Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries and the Cambridge Dictionary.
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1
Do something or move more quickly
hurry up
- Hurry up! The bus is coming.
- If you don’t hurry up, we’ll miss the start.
- Can you hurry up with the bathroom, please?
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2
Make someone or something go faster
hurry somebody or something up
- Can you hurry the kids up? We’re late.
- Is there any way to hurry up my order?
- Don’t hurry me up. I’m doing my best.
Café orders
New friends
At the airport
Slova
Use hurry up in real conversations
- Learn new words with picture cards
- Talk with Felix, an AI tutor, about the things you love
- Short lessons at your level, a few minutes a day
Is hurry up separable?
Hurry up usually has no object: Hurry up! To make someone faster, put them in the middle: hurry Tom up, hurry him up. Use with for a task: hurry up with dinner.
Hurry up! can sound rude to strangers. Could you be quick, please? or We’re a bit short of time sounds softer.
Verb tenses for hurry up
| Present | I hurry up · she hurries up |
|---|---|
| Past | hurried up |
| Present perfect | have hurried up |
| -ing form | hurrying up |
Common mistakes with hurry up
What learners often say, and what to say instead.
Wrong: Hurry up you, the film starts at six!
Right: Hurry up, the film starts at six!
Hurry up as an order needs no you after it.
Wrong: Please hurry up for your homework.
Right: Please hurry up with your homework.
Use with for the thing you need to finish.
Wrong: I hurried up to the station and got there early.
Right: I hurried to the station and got there early.
For moving fast to a place, just use hurry.
Synonyms and opposites of hurry up
Words close to it, and words that mean the opposite.
Similar
- speed upgo faster, used for cars, processes and people
- get a move oninformal, hurry up
- rushdo something too quickly, sometimes badly
Opposite
- slow downgo less fast
- take your timedo something without hurrying
Hurry up quiz
Three quick questions. Pick an answer to see if it is right and why.
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1___! The shop closes in five minutes.
Hurry up means be quicker.
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2Choose the right sentence.
Use hurry up with + task.
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3“The manager tried to hurry the builders up.” What did the manager want?
Hurry someone up means make them go faster.
Find your level
The phrasal verbs test adapts as you answer, from A2 to C1, and shows which ones you miss.
- get upA1get out of bed after you sleep
- take upB1start a new hobby or activity
- put upB1fix something to a wall, or raise something higher
- look upA2find information in a dictionary, a book or online
- go upB1become higher, like a price, a number or a temperature
- come upB2be mentioned or talked about
- give upB1stop doing or having something, often a habit
- break upB1end a romantic relationship
Hurry up FAQ
Questions people ask about hurry up.
Is hurry up rude?
It can be, especially with strangers or at work. With family and friends it is normal. Could we go a bit faster? is softer.
What is the difference between hurry and hurry up?
Hurry is used with a place: hurry home. Hurry up is used alone or as an order: Hurry up!
What does hurry up and wait mean?
It describes a situation where you rush to be ready and then wait a long time, like at airports.
Use hurry up in real conversations
In Slova you learn new words with picture cards, then use them when you talk about the things you love. A few minutes a day, at your level.