rustle
1 of 2verb
rus·tle ˈrə-səl 
rustled; rustling ˈrə-s(ə-)liŋ
intransitive verb
1
: to make or cause a rustle
2
a
: to act or move with energy or speed
b
: to forage food
3
: to steal cattle
transitive verb
1
: to cause to rustle
2
a
: to obtain by one's own exertions —often used with up
able to rustle up $5,000 bail
Jack McCallum
Jack McCallum b
: forage
3
: to steal (livestock) especially from a farm or ranch
rustle
2 of 2noun
: a quick succession or confusion of small sounds
Synonyms
Verb
- browse
- forage
- graze
- pasture
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The trees rustled in the wind. Her skirt rustled as she walked. He rustled the papers on his desk. Noun He heard a rustle of leaves behind him.
Recent Examples on the Web Jennifer Williams-alvarez, WSJ, 11 May 2022 For those wanting to rustle up food at home, the big grocery chains have dedicated sections on their websites to help. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 31 May 2022 Some, like Sebastian Faena and Gary Sorrenti, were able to rustle up a late-night snack in the form of beef carpaccio and pasta for the adjacent kitchen servicing Cipriani Downtown Miami. Zachary Weiss, Vogue, 7 Dec. 2021 Previous franchise stars who’ve appeared on DWTS are likely to offer their support on social media and rustle up some extra votes. Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 20 Sep. 2021 For example, whenever a tree moves, leaves need to rustle. BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2021 Birds rustle in the branches of a large, wizened hemlock. Zoya Teirstein, Wired, 14 Aug. 2021 The Green Knight, as seen in Lowery's enchanting Arthurian dream, is an imposing tree of a man, with a wispy beard of twigs and a wooden mane whose movements rustle with the sound of bended, creaking branches. Jake Coyle, Star Tribune, 28 July 2021 Government and philanthropic funding is no match for corporate purses, and few institutions can rustle up the data and computing power needed to match work from companies like Google. Tom Simonite, Wired, 8 June 2021 Sunset Magazine, 31 Aug. 2022 Bands of cash, smacked down on surfaces, sound like bricks; loose bills, collected by a dancer, rustle like leaves. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022 Thunder mutters overhead, the wind picks up, and human cries are half lost in the rustle of leaves. The New Yorker, 3 June 2022 But with the top raised, there’s hardly a rustle of wind noise, so good is the sealing. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 8 June 2022 Some pictures will stir your soul and cause a rustle of recognition. Michael Johnston, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2022 All come with a backdrop of stunning towering mountains, the rustle of the wind through the trees and the allure of an endless expanse of clear blue water merging with the sky. Lisa Morrow, CNN, 25 Mar. 2022 The subject matter caused a rustle, but Chandler, who died in 1997, stood by Davidson. New York Times, 28 Jan. 2022 The muffled, vaguely sonographic rustle of a pocket, or a purse. Meghan O'gieblyn, Wired, 24 Jan. 2022 See More
Verb
Elon Musk was able to rustle up more than $7 billion from 19 investors to support his $44 billion bid to take Twitter private this year. Jennifer Williams-alvarez, WSJ, 11 May 2022 For those wanting to rustle up food at home, the big grocery chains have dedicated sections on their websites to help. Karla Adam, Washington Post, 31 May 2022 Some, like Sebastian Faena and Gary Sorrenti, were able to rustle up a late-night snack in the form of beef carpaccio and pasta for the adjacent kitchen servicing Cipriani Downtown Miami. Zachary Weiss, Vogue, 7 Dec. 2021 Previous franchise stars who’ve appeared on DWTS are likely to offer their support on social media and rustle up some extra votes. Mary Colurso | Mcolurso@al.com, al, 20 Sep. 2021 For example, whenever a tree moves, leaves need to rustle. BostonGlobe.com, 26 Aug. 2021 Birds rustle in the branches of a large, wizened hemlock. Zoya Teirstein, Wired, 14 Aug. 2021 The Green Knight, as seen in Lowery's enchanting Arthurian dream, is an imposing tree of a man, with a wispy beard of twigs and a wooden mane whose movements rustle with the sound of bended, creaking branches. Jake Coyle, Star Tribune, 28 July 2021 Government and philanthropic funding is no match for corporate purses, and few institutions can rustle up the data and computing power needed to match work from companies like Google. Tom Simonite, Wired, 8 June 2021 Noun
There’s no sign of any other home in any direction, no sound of traffic, just the rustle of a breeze through the grass. Sunset Magazine, 31 Aug. 2022 Bands of cash, smacked down on surfaces, sound like bricks; loose bills, collected by a dancer, rustle like leaves. Doreen St. Félix, The New Yorker, 1 Aug. 2022 Thunder mutters overhead, the wind picks up, and human cries are half lost in the rustle of leaves. The New Yorker, 3 June 2022 But with the top raised, there’s hardly a rustle of wind noise, so good is the sealing. Howard Walker, Robb Report, 8 June 2022 Some pictures will stir your soul and cause a rustle of recognition. Michael Johnston, The New Yorker, 31 Mar. 2022 All come with a backdrop of stunning towering mountains, the rustle of the wind through the trees and the allure of an endless expanse of clear blue water merging with the sky. Lisa Morrow, CNN, 25 Mar. 2022 The subject matter caused a rustle, but Chandler, who died in 1997, stood by Davidson. New York Times, 28 Jan. 2022 The muffled, vaguely sonographic rustle of a pocket, or a purse. Meghan O'gieblyn, Wired, 24 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Middle English rustelen
First Known Use
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1624, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing rustle
Kids Definition
rustle 1 of 2
verb
rus·tle ˈrə-səl
rustled; rustling
1
: to make or cause to make a quick series of small sounds
Leaves rustled in the wind.
2
: to steal (as cattle) from the range
rustle
2 of 2noun
: a quick series of small sounds
From backstage you could hear the rustle of paper programs … Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonder
Richard Peck, A Year Down Yonderrustled
verb
1
as in grazed
to feed on grass or herbs just take the steer out to pasture and let it rustle for itself Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- grazed
- fed
- foraged
- pastured
- browsed
- nibbled
- ate
- stocked
- ranged
- overgrazed
2
as in scurried
to proceed or move quickly rustled around enthusiastically on the morning of the big trip Synonyms & Similar Words
- scurried
- hurried
- trotted
- sped
- rushed
- flew
- raced
- zipped
- drove
- traveled
- chased
- jumped
- darted
- buzzed
- scooted
- ran
- blew
- stepped
- travelled
- whirled
- scuttled
- speeded
- bolted
- ripped
- run
- blasted
- bustled
- tore
- hustled
- dashed
- jogged
- hurled
- zoomed
- hurtled
- rammed
- breezed
- whisked
- blazed
- nipped
- hastened
- pelted
- humped
- bowled
- bundled
- rocketed
- careened
- hied
- coursed
- motored
- belted
- galloped
- flitted
- barreled
- jetted
- shot
- careered
- beat it
- scampered
- highballed
- scudded
- cannonballed
- bombed
- scuffled
- barrelled
- whizzed
- stampeded
- stepped on it
- sprinted
- hared
- shook a leg
- beetled
- streaked
- made tracks
- cracked (on)
- hotfooted (it)
- overtook
- got a move on
- quickened
- accelerated
- outstripped
- stepped out
- outpaced
- outran
- arrowed
- caught up
- beelined
- fast-forwarded
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- crept
- crawled
- dragged
- poked
- lingered
- poked
- strolled
- loitered
- shuffled
- lagged
- sauntered
- ambled
- hung (around or out)
- hanged (around or out)
- tarried
- plodded
- lumbered
- dallied
- dawdled
- slowed (down or up)
- decelerated
- dillydallied
3
as in squeaked
to make small sounds usually by rubbing or moving my pet peeve is candy wrappers rustling during a movie Synonyms & Similar Words
- squeaked
- crackled
- whispered
- creaked
- crinkled
- sighed
- whooshed
- swooshed
- murmured
- gurgled
- babbled
- crepitated