noun
Meaning 1
A state of busy activity.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
hustle
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
-
/ˈhʌsəl/
-
US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
-
rhymes with -ʌsəl
-
CMU ARPABET: HH AH1 S AH0 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
A propensity to work hard and get things done; ability to hustle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
A type of disco dance, commonly danced to the Van McCoy song The Hustle (1975).
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
Qualifier: preceded by a definite article
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A scam or swindle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
An activity, such as prostitution or reselling stolen items, that a prisoner uses to earn money in prison.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, slang, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
An act of prostitution.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, slang, uncountable
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
An activity, especially to achieve a desired goal or make money.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: countable, informal, uncountable
Examples
- Everybody's got a hustle.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 8
To push someone roughly; to crowd; to jostle.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 9
To rush or hurry.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: intransitive
Examples
- I'll have to hustle to get there on time.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 10
To bundle; to stow something quickly.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To con, swindle, or deceive, especially financially.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: transitive
Examples
- The guy tried to hustle me into buying into a bogus real estate deal.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 12
To play deliberately badly at a game or sport in an attempt to encourage players to challenge one.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 13
To obtain by illicit or forceful action.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 14
To sell sex; to work as a pimp.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 15
To be a prostitute; to exchange use of one's body for sexual purposes for money.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 16
To serve (a clientele) as a prostitute.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 17
To dance the hustle, a disco dance.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 18
To work.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 19
To put a lot of effort into one's work.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Usage: informal
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 20
a rapid active commotion
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bustle, flurry, ado, fuss, stir
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: commotion, din, ruction, ruckus, rumpus, tumult
noun
Meaning 21
a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bunco, bunco game, bunko, bunko game, con, confidence trick, confidence game, con game, gyp, sting, flimflam
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: swindle, cheat, rig
Narrower terms: sting operation
verb
Meaning 22
pressure or urge someone into an action
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: persuade
verb
Meaning 23
move or cause to move energetically or busily
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The cheerleaders bustled about excitingly before their performance
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: bustle, bustle about
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: move
verb
Meaning 24
cause to move furtively and hurriedly
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: move, displace
verb
Meaning 25
get by trying hard
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
Examples
- she hustled a free lunch from the waiter
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: receive, have
verb
Meaning 26
sell something to or obtain something from by energetic and especially underhanded activity
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: pluck, roll
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: steal
History
Etymology
From Dutch husselen or by metathesis from Dutch hutselen (“to shake up”), a frequentative of hutsen (“to stir, to move something (back and forth)”).
Across languages
Translations
88 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Bulgarian: бързане (bǎrzane) — rush or hurry
- Catalan: tràfec — rush or hurry
- Finnish: kiire — rush or hurry
- Finnish: hoppu — rush or hurry
- French: bousculade — rush or hurry
- French: agitation — rush or hurry
- French: cohue — rush or hurry
- Galician: bulicio — rush or hurry
- German: Hast — rush or hurry
- German: Hektik — rush or hurry
- German: Hetze — rush or hurry
- German: Eile — rush or hurry
- Hebrew: המולה (hamulá) — rush or hurry
- Italian: fretta — rush or hurry
- Italian: spinta — rush or hurry
- Italian: trambusto — rush or hurry
- Italian: andirivieni — rush or hurry
- Polish: bieganina — rush or hurry
- Russian: спе́шка (spéška) — rush or hurry
- Russian: суета́ (sujetá) — rush or hurry
- Russian: су́толока (sútoloka) — rush or hurry
- Russian: толкотня́ (tolkotnjá) — rush or hurry
- Spanish: bullicio — rush or hurry
- Spanish: ajetreo — rush or hurry
- Spanish: correcorre — rush or hurry
- Spanish: corredera — rush or hurry
- Spanish: corre corre — rush or hurry
- Ottoman Turkish: قیزغینلق (kızgınlık) — rush or hurry
- Finnish: hustle — type of dance
- Russian: хасл (xasl) — type of dance
- Bulgarian: бързам (bǎrzam) — to rush or hurry
- Catalan: apressar-se — to rush or hurry
- Czech: pospíchat — to rush or hurry
- Czech: spěchat — to rush or hurry
- Esperanto: dispuŝi — to rush or hurry
- Finnish: kiirehtiä — to rush or hurry
- Finnish: hoppuilla — to rush or hurry
- Finnish: kiiruhtaa — to rush or hurry
- French: bousculer — to rush or hurry
- French: s'agiter — to rush or hurry
- French: se grouiller — to rush or hurry
- French: se dépêcher — to rush or hurry
- German: sich beeilen — to rush or hurry
- German: hetzen — to rush or hurry
- Hebrew: מִהֵר (mihér) — to rush or hurry
- Italian: affrettarsi — to rush or hurry
- Italian: darsi da fare — to rush or hurry
- Māori: tutetute — to rush or hurry
- Māori: ātute — to rush or hurry
- Māori: taututetute — to rush or hurry
- Māori: whakatūkawikawi — to rush or hurry
- Portuguese: apressar-se — to rush or hurry
- Russian: спеши́ть (spešítʹ) — to rush or hurry
- Russian: торопи́ться (toropítʹsja) — to rush or hurry
- Sicilian: annacàrisi — to rush or hurry
- Sicilian: manijàrisi — to rush or hurry
- Sicilian: dàrisi versu — to rush or hurry
- Spanish: darse prisa — to rush or hurry
- Spanish: apurarse — to rush or hurry
- Turkish: acele etmek — to rush or hurry
- Bulgarian: мамя (mamja) — to con or deceive
- Esperanto: ĉarlatani — to con or deceive
- Esperanto: trompi — to con or deceive
- Finnish: huijata — to con or deceive
- Finnish: petkuttaa — to con or deceive
- Finnish: huiputtaa — to con or deceive
- German: betrügen — to con or deceive
- German: abziehen — to con or deceive
- Hebrew: רִמָּה (rimá) — to con or deceive
- Italian: imbrogliare — to con or deceive
- Italian: truffare — to con or deceive
- Latvian: razkruķīt — to con or deceive
- Persian: کلاشی کردن (kallâši kardan) — to con or deceive
- Russian: обма́нывать (obmányvatʹ) — to con or deceive
- Russian: обману́ть (obmanútʹ) — to con or deceive
- Russian: надува́ть (naduvátʹ) — to con or deceive
- Russian: наду́ть (nadútʹ) — to con or deceive
- Russian: раскрути́ть (raskrutítʹ) — to con or deceive
- Sicilian: mprugghiari — to con or deceive
- Sicilian: mpidugghiari — to con or deceive
- Sicilian: mbrusiari — to con or deceive
- Sicilian: nfrijinziari — to con or deceive
- Sicilian: truffari — to con or deceive
- Spanish: engañar — to con or deceive
- Spanish: engrupir — to con or deceive
- Spanish: trapichear — to put in a lot of effort
- Spanish: hacer los imposibles — to put in a lot of effort
- Spanish: cinchar — to put in a lot of effort
Real reading context