rattler

[ rat-ler ]
See synonyms for rattler on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a rattlesnake.

  2. a person or thing that rattles.

  1. Informal. a fast freight train.

Origin of rattler

1
late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at rattle1, -er1

Words Nearby rattler

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use rattler in a sentence

  • rattler was distressed to think that any drone should have made its way into the hive of working bees.

    The Prime Minister | Anthony Trollope
  • He was cool, implacable, and dangerous as a rattler waiting for the opportune moment to spring.

    Garrison's Finish | W. B. M. Ferguson

British Dictionary definitions for rattler

rattler

/ (ˈrætlə) /


noun
  1. something that rattles

  2. mainly US and Canadian an informal name for rattlesnake

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012