Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense rattles, present participle rattling, past tense, past participle rattled
1. verb
When something rattles or when you rattle it, it makes short sharp knocking sounds because it is being shaken or it keeps hitting against something hard.
She slams the kitchen door so hard I hear dishes rattle. [VERB]
He gently rattled the cage and whispered to the canary. [VERB noun]
The truck pulled away, and she listened to the rattling noises fade down the lane. [VERB-ing]
Synonyms: shake, jiggle, jolt, vibrate More Synonyms of rattle
Rattle is also a noun.
There was a rattle of rifle-fire. [+ of]
rattlingsingular noun
At that moment, there was a rattling at the door.
2. countable noun
A rattle is a baby's toy with loose bits inside which make a noise when the baby shakes it.
3. countable noun
A rattle is a wooden instrument that people shake to make a loud knocking noise at football matches or tribal ceremonies.
4. countable noun
A rattlesnake's rattle is the hard part at the end of its tail which makes a rattling sound when it is shaken.
5. verb
If something or someone rattles you, they make you nervous.
The bust-up clearly rattled him. [VERB noun]
She refused to be rattled by his £3,000-a-day lawyer. [beVERB-ed + by]
Synonyms: fluster, shake, upset, frighten More Synonyms of rattle
rattledadjective [usually verb-link ADJECTIVE]
He swore in Spanish, another indication that he was rattled.
6. verb
You can say that a bus, train, or car rattles somewhere when it moves noisily from one place to another.
The bus from Odense rattled into a dusty village called Pozo Almonte. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Somewhere close at hand a train rattled by. [VERB preposition/adverb]
Phrasal verbs:
See rattle around
See rattle off
See rattle on
See rattle through
More Synonyms of rattle
rattle in British English1
(ˈrætəl)
verb
1.
to make or cause to make a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, as of loose pellets colliding when shaken in a container
2.
to shake or cause to shake with such a sound
the explosion rattled the windows
3.
to send, move, drive, etc, with such a sound
the car rattled along the country road
4. (intransitive; foll byon)
to chatter idly; talk, esp at length
he rattled on about his work
5. (tr; foll by off, out, etc)
to recite perfunctorily or rapidly
6. (transitive) informal
to disconcert; make frightened or anxious
noun
7.
a rapid succession of short sharp sounds
8.
an object, esp a baby's toy, filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken
9.
a series of loosely connected horny segments on the tail of a rattlesnake, vibrated to produce a rattling sound
10.
any of various European scrophulariaceous plants having a capsule in which the seeds rattle, such as Pedicularis palustris (red rattle) and Rhinanthus minor (yellow rattle)
11.
idle chatter
12.
an idle chatterer
13. medicine another name for rale
Word origin
C14: from Middle Dutch ratelen; related to Middle High German razzen, of imitative origin
rattle in British English2
(ˈrætəl)
verb
(transitive; often foll bydown)
to fit (a vessel or its rigging) with ratlines
Word origin
C18: back formation from rattling, variant of ratline
Rattle in British English
(ˈrætəl)
noun
Sir Simon. born 1955, English conductor. Principal conductor (1980–91) and music director (1991–98) of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra (2002–18); music director of the London Symphony Orchestra from 2017
rattle in American English1
(ˈrætəl)
verb intransitiveWord forms: ˈrattled or ˈrattling
1.
to make a series of sharp, short sounds in quick succession
2.
to go or move with such sounds
a wagon rattling over the stones
3.
to talk rapidly and incessantly; chatter
often with on
verb transitive
4.
to cause to rattle
to rattle the handle of a door
5.
to utter or perform rapidly
6. US
to confuse or upset; disconcert
to rattle a speaker with catcalls
noun
7.
a quick succession of sharp, short sounds
8.
a rattling noise made by air passing through the mucus of a partly closed throat
see also death rattle
9.
a noisy uproar; loud chatter
10. US
a.
a series of horny rings at the end of a rattlesnake's tail, used to produce a rattling sound
b.
any of these
11.
a device, as a baby's toy or a percussion instrument, made to rattle when shaken
SIMILAR WORDS: emˈbarrass
Idioms:
rattle around in
Word origin
ME ratelen, prob. of WGmc echoic orig., akin to Ger rasseln
rattle in American English2
(ˈrætəl)
verb transitiveWord forms: ˈrattled or ˈrattling
to provide with ratlines
usually with down
Word origin
back-form. < ratling (taken as prp.), var. of ratline
More idioms containing
rattle
rattle someone's cage
Examples of 'rattle' in a sentence
rattle
I can hear it rattling around.
Times, Sunday Times (2017)
Windows may rattle a bit, but that's all part of the charm.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The door then rattled and I heard my wife's voice.
The Sun (2016)
I'd hear a car in the driveway, the garage door rattling open.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
The king was left rattling about in the palace alone.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
It was scary being out in the desert at night and hearing that rattle noise.
The Sun (2014)
Nearly scored with a header which rattled the bar.
The Sun (2014)
The sound of the front door rattling in the media centre caused all our heads to turn.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
This can be done by sowing yellow rattle first.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
It could also rattle a few shareholders along the way.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
There are two people who snore so loudly that the windows rattle.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
That was hours ago now and still the train rattles onwards through the night.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
She observes that this news rattles her captors.
Times, Sunday Times (2013)
Citizen gallops along at a rattling good pace.
The Sun (2009)
But the most concerning issue is a loud rattling noise when driving.
The Sun (2016)
He cut inside two defenders before rattling the bar with a fierce drive.
The Sun (2010)
He also rattled the crossbar in the second half with another piledriver.
The Sun (2009)
The sound rattles windows up the street.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
An intruder was clinging to the side of the rattling train.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
How many other musicians have managed to keep a big band rattling around on the road for two decades?
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
The rattling of the door handle.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
There was a rattling sound, and they came together.
Christianity Today (2000)
Sounds like it'll rattle some cages.
The Sun (2011)
There was no other sound save the rattle of equipment and the trundle of the wagons as the column slid noisily into the town.
Iain Gale Man of Honour (2007)
A third odd feature of yellow rattle explains its name.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
The Hammers clearly have an uncanny knack of rattling football 's thinking man.
The Sun (2007)
In other languages
rattle
British English: rattle /ˈrætl/ NOUN
A rattle is a rapid succession of short sharp sounds.
The rattle of typing began again in the other room.
American English: rattle
Arabic: خُشْخَيْشَة
Brazilian Portuguese: chocalhada
Chinese: 咔吱声
Croatian: klopot
Czech: chrastění
Danish: raslen
Dutch: geratel
European Spanish: tamborileo
Finnish: helinä
French: battement
German: Klappern
Greek: κροτάλισμα
Italian: sonaglio
Japanese: ガラガラいう音
Korean: 덜거덕 소리
Norwegian: klapring
Polish: grzechotanie
European Portuguese: chocalhada
Romanian: răpăit
Russian: треск
Latin American Spanish: tamborileo
Swedish: skallra
Thai: ของเล่นเด็กที่เขย่ามีเสียงรัว
Turkish: çıngırak
Ukrainian: брязкіт
Vietnamese: tiếng lạch cạch
British English: rattle VERB
When something rattles or when you rattle it, it makes short sharp knocking sounds because it is being shaken or it keeps hitting against something hard.
She slams the kitchen door so hard I hear dishes rattle.
American English: rattle
Brazilian Portuguese: chacoalhar
Chinese: 发出嘎嘎声
European Spanish: vibrar
French: s'entrechoquer
German: klirren
Italian: sbattere
Japanese: ガタガタ鳴らせる/ガタガタ鳴る
Korean: 달그락거리다
European Portuguese: chocalhar
Latin American Spanish: vibrar
All related terms of 'rattle'
rattle on
When you say that someone rattles on about something, you mean that they talk about it for a long time in a way that annoys you.
rattle off
If you rattle off something, you say it or do it very quickly and without much effort .
red rattle
to make or cause to make a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, as of loose pellets colliding when shaken in a container
death rattle
If you say that one thing is the death rattle of another, you mean that the first thing is a sign that very soon the second thing will come to an end.
rattle around
If you say that someone rattles around in a room or other space , you mean that the space is too large for them.
yellow rattle
to make or cause to make a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, as of loose pellets colliding when shaken in a container
rattle through
If you rattle through something, you deal with it quickly in order to finish it.
rattle windows
A window is a space in the wall of a building or in the side of a vehicle, which has glass in it so that light can come in and you can see out.
rattle around in
to live or work in (a house, office, etc.) that is too big for one's needs
rattle one's dags
to hurry up
rattle so's cage
If someone rattles your cage , they do something which is intended to make you feel nervous .
rattle someone's cage
to do or say something that upsets or annoys someone