Idiom
more haste less speed
Meanings
Rushing a task can lead to mistakes that ultimately make you slower.
Definition
Used to warn that rushing often causes mistakes and slows you down overall.
“More haste, less speed” means that if you try to do something too quickly, you are likely to make errors. Those mistakes then take time to fix, so you end up finishing later than if you had worked carefully. It is often said as advice to slow down and do the job properly, especially in British English.
Examples
- Slow down with the paperwork—more haste less speed.
- He kept rushing the repairs, but it was more haste less speed in the end.
- My mum always says, “more haste less speed,” when I try to leave the house too fast.
- If you sprint through the test, it’s more haste less speed because you’ll miss easy marks.
Common mistake
Learners often omit the commas and say it as “more haste less speed” without the usual pause, which can make it sound unnatural.
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