rattlenoun
uk/ˈræt.əl/us/ˈræt̬.əl/[ S ] a sound similar to a series of quickly repeated knocks:
From across the town came the rattle of machine-gun fire.
[ C ] a toy that makes a noise like a series of knocks:
The baby was waving around a plastic rattle.
[ C ] a wooden device that when turned round and round produces a noise like a series of knocks
[ C ] the part of a rattlesnake's tail that produces a noise
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Sounds made by objects, movement or impact
- clash
- crackling
- ding
- ding-a-ling
- ding-dong
- fizz
- hoot
- knock
- pip
- rasp
- ringer
- rumbling
- sing
- slam
- swish
- thud
- ting
- twang
- whine
- whistle
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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:
Toys & dolls
Reptile & amphibian names
rattleverb
uk/ˈræt.əl/us/ˈræt̬.əl/rattle verb (WORRY)
[ T ] to worry someone or make someone nervous:
The creaking upstairs was starting to rattle me.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Causing anxiety and worry
- alarming
- bite
- catch up with sb
- come back to bite sb idiom
- come back/home to roost idiom
- flap
- frighten sb/sth away/off
- get/go beyond a joke idiom
- give sb the jitters idiom
- gnaw
- harass
- joke
- suspenseful
- sweat
- tense
- troubling
- unnerve
- unsettling
- weigh
- weigh on sb/sth
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rattle verb (SOUND)
[ I or T ] to (cause something to) make a noise like a series of knocks:
The explosion rattled the cups on the table.
The dying man's voice rattled in his throat.
[ + adv/prep ] The car rattled over the cobblestones.
My car engine is making a strange rattling noise.
Thesaurus: synonyms and related words
Sounds made by objects, movement or impact
- clash
- crackling
- ding
- ding-a-ling
- ding-dong
- fizz
- hoot
- knock
- pip
- rasp
- ringer
- rumbling
- sing
- slam
- swish
- thud
- ting
- twang
- whine
- whistle
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Phrasal verb(s)
rattle sth off
rattle on/away
rattle through sth