rattle
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to give out or cause a rapid succession of short, sharp sounds, as in consequence of agitation and repeated concussions.
The windows rattled in their frames.
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to move or go, especially rapidly, with such sounds.
The car rattled along the highway.
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to talk rapidly; chatter.
He rattled on for an hour about his ailments.
verb (used with object)
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to cause to rattle.
He rattled the doorknob violently.
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to drive, send, bring, etc., especially rapidly, with rattling sounds.
The wind rattled the metal can across the roadway.
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to utter or perform in a rapid or lively manner.
to rattle off a list of complaints.
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to disconcert or confuse (a person).
A sudden noise rattled the speaker.
- Synonyms:
- discompose
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Hunting. to stir up (a cover).
noun
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a rapid succession of short, sharp sounds, as from the collision of hard bodies.
- Synonyms:
- clatter
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an instrument contrived to make a rattling sound, especially a baby's toy filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken.
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the series of horny, interlocking elements at the end of the tail of a rattlesnake, with which it produces a rattling sound.
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a rattling sound in the throat, as the death rattle.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to make or cause to make a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, as of loose pellets colliding when shaken in a container
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to shake or cause to shake with such a sound
the explosion rattled the windows
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to send, move, drive, etc, with such a sound
the car rattled along the country road
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to chatter idly; talk, esp at length
he rattled on about his work
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(tr; foll by off, out etc) to recite perfunctorily or rapidly
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informal (tr) to disconcert; make frightened or anxious
noun
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a rapid succession of short sharp sounds
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an object, esp a baby's toy, filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken
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a series of loosely connected horny segments on the tail of a rattlesnake, vibrated to produce a rattling sound
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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 )
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idle chatter
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an idle chatterer
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med another name for rale
noun
verb
Etymology
Origin of rattle1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb rat(t)elen, ratlen, cognate with Dutch ratelen, German rasseln ); of imitative origin
Origin of rattle2
First recorded in 1720–30; back formation from ratling ratline (taken as verbal noun)
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.
But I suppose I was a quite unsentimental young man in many ways and I was always on the lookout for some material where I could a rattle the public’s cage a bit.
From Los Angeles Times
Jittery Angelenos sat in the dark, rattled by sounds of sirens and antiaircraft fire.
From Los Angeles Times
At least one school of thought suggests the tech giant’s massive capital spending plans, which could reach $185 billion this year, doubling the 2025 total, have rattled investor sentiment.
From Barron's
The introduction has rattled Celsius shares, which have fallen about 12% this week.
Investors appeared to welcome the reports, but some questioned whether this truly represents a meaningful de-escalation to a conflict that has rattled global financial markets.
From MarketWatch
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.
