hustler
Americannoun
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hustlers
plural
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an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.
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Slang. a person who employs fraudulent or unscrupulous methods to obtain money; swindler.
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Informal. an expert gambler or game player who seeks out challengers, especially unsuspecting amateur ones, in order to win money from them.
He earned his living as a pool hustler.
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Slang. a prostitute.
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a person who hustles.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of hustler
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.
See Examples For:
Turturro is exactly the right actor to play an aging hustler in a cast rounded out by Steve Buscemi and Giancarlo Esposito.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 21, 2026
Stan Carlisle, a small-time hustler and the protagonist of the noirish tale “Nightmare Alley,” starts out as a card sharp, performing sleight-of-hand tricks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2025
"She's a bit of a hustler," adds Greenway.
From BBC ● May 20, 2025
“We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another crappy real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot,” he said.
From Salon ● May 29, 2024
The other Low Cuts watched Bit the hustler, Bit who could turn ninety cents into nine bucks—into ice cream—turn into a son.
From "Look Both Ways" by Jason Reynolds
But the pair are just the latest in the long line of hustlers, fraudsters and canny opportunists who have been working to undermine science in this country for more than a century.
From Salon ● Aug. 13, 2026
I warn people all the time to walk past the hustlers offering rides on the way to the official taxi line or ride-share pick up at major airports.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 31, 2026
But the opportunity to profit from advertising revenue and sponsorship money has also attracted side hustlers just like Jordan, who hope to generate income outside their full-time jobs.
From Slate ● Mar. 14, 2025
If billiards has the reputation of being a pastime for gamblers, hustlers and hanger-oners, the female-centric biweekly pool tournament at 4100 Bar offers a friendly, supportive alternative.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 20, 2024
And the hustlers were merchandising: “Hundred-dollar ring, man, diamond; ninety-dollar watch, too—look at ’em.
From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey
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.
