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