haste

Q: Is it correct to say "he did it with haste"?

No — say "he did it in haste". While 'with haste' is grammatically possible, the idiomatic preposition for this noun in most contexts is 'in'.

Definition

n. the act of moving or acting very quickly, often because you are in a hurry. You use this word when speed is the most important thing.

n. excessive speed or urgency of movement or action; rapidity of motion. Often carries a connotation of recklessness or a lack of deliberation.

simple

“In his haste to leave, he forgot his keys on the table.”

contextual

“The report was written in great haste and contained several avoidable spelling mistakes.”

complex

“The legislation was pushed through with unseemly haste, leaving little time for the opposition to scrutinize the potential long-term consequences of the new tax laws.”

Commonly used in the fixed expression 'in haste' or the proverb 'haste makes waste'.

he did it with haste

he did it in haste

While 'with haste' is grammatically possible, the idiomatic preposition for this noun in most contexts is 'in'.

Blend of Middle English hasten (verb), (compare Dutch haasten, German hasten, Danish haste, Swedish hasta (“to hasten, rush”)) and Middle English hast (“haste”, noun), from Old French haste (whence French hâte), from Old Frankish hai(f)st (“violence”), from Proto-Germanic haifstiz (“struggle, conflict”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱeyp- (“to ridicule, mock, anger”). Akin to Old Frisian hāst, hāste (“haste”), Old English hǣst (“violence”), Old English hǣste (“violent, impetuous, vehement”, adjective), Old Norse heift /heipt (“feud”), Gothic 𐌷𐌰𐌹𐍆𐍃𐍄𐍃 (haifsts, “rivalry”). Cognate with German heftig (“vehement”) and Danish heftig (“vehement”).

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

VERB

hasten(C1)

NOUN

haste(B2)

ADJECTIVE

Hasty(B2)

ADVERB

hastily(B2)

hassle hurry