Meaning & use
to hie
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Meaning
verbintransitiveliteraryold-fashionedarchaic
to go quickly; to hurry to a place
Grammar: No object; often used with a direction phrase like 'to the market' or 'home'.
Patterns
- hie to a place
- hie home
- hie thee to a place
She hied to the village to warn the others.
The messenger hied back to the castle with the news.
Word forms
| third person singular | hies |
|---|---|
| past tense | hied |
| past participle | hied |
| -ing form | hying |
Common combinations
- hie to
- He hied to the nearest town for help.
- hie back
- They hied back to the camp before dark.
- hie thee
- 'Hie thee to the kitchen!' the old cook cried.
Synonyms and how they differ
- hurry
- The normal modern word; use it in everyday speech and writing.
- hasten
- More formal than 'hurry' but still current; 'hie' is much older and rarer.
- rush
- Suggests doing something with urgent speed; 'hie' focuses only on going quickly.
Opposites
Word family
- hieing verb
- Another -ing form of 'hie', less common than 'hying'.
Commonly confused: to hie or high? to hie or hay?
to hie vs high
Same pronunciation but completely different meaning (tall or far above). 'Hie' is a verb meaning to hurry.
to hie vs hay
A different word pronounced /heɪ/, meaning dried grass. Do not mix up the spelling with 'hie'.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'hie' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Hie' is intransitive, so it does not take a direct object. Only option B uses it correctly with a direction phrase ('to the river'). Options A, C, and D all use it transitively, which is wrong.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “to hie”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.