bustling
Americanadjective
-
moving or acting with a great show of energy.
I watched her preparing lunch in the kitchen—a compact, bustling woman of around forty with her hair in a tight bun.
-
abounding or teeming with people or activities that create an atmosphere of energy.
This midwestern city is a bustling hub for business, education, recreation, and government.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of bustling
First recorded in 1425–75; bustl(e) 1 ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; bustl(e) 1 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The seaport was bustling, the food exquisite, the Moldovan wine plentiful.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 7, 2026
The pavements of Hanoi's wide boulevards and narrow lanes have long been clogged with bustling food stalls, weaving scooters, and crowds of coffee and beer drinkers sitting on low plastic stools.
From Barron's • Jun. 2, 2026
One of these days, you’ll meet a friend at the airport and they’ll see you enjoying your glass of champagne in first class when they’re bustling their way into steerage.
From MarketWatch • May 26, 2026
Tucked into a residential neighbourhood off of a bustling thoroughfare, the centre is flanked by single-family homes, schools, a park and places of worship.
From BBC • May 22, 2026
I nod, and they slip through the curtain, out into the bright, bustling halls of the hospital.
From "The Sea in Winter" by Christine Day
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
