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.
to move or go, especially rapidly, with such sounds.
The car rattled along the highway.
to talk rapidly; chatter.
He rattled on for an hour about his ailments.
to cause to rattle.
He rattled the doorknob violently.
to drive, send, bring, etc., especially rapidly, with rattling sounds.
The wind rattled the metal can across the roadway.
to utter or perform in a rapid or lively manner.
to rattle off a list of complaints.
to disconcert or confuse (a person).
A sudden noise rattled the speaker.
Hunting. to stir up (a cover).
a rapid succession of short, sharp sounds, as from the collision of hard bodies.
an instrument contrived to make a rattling sound, especially a baby's toy filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken.
the series of horny, interlocking elements at the end of the tail of a rattlesnake, with which it produces a rattling sound.
a rattling sound in the throat, as the death rattle.
to make or cause to make a rapid succession of short sharp sounds, as of loose pellets colliding when shaken in a container
to shake or cause to shake with such a sound
the explosion rattled the windows
to send, move, drive, etc, with such a sound
the car rattled along the country road
to chatter idly; talk, esp at length
he rattled on about his work
(tr; foll by off, out etc) to recite perfunctorily or rapidly
informal (tr) to disconcert; make frightened or anxious
a rapid succession of short sharp sounds
an object, esp a baby's toy, filled with small pellets that rattle when shaken
a series of loosely connected horny segments on the tail of a rattlesnake, vibrated to produce a rattling sound
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 )
idle chatter
an idle chatterer
med another name for rale
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb rat(t)elen, ratlen, cognate with Dutch ratelen, German rasseln ); of imitative origin
First recorded in 1720–30; back formation from ratling ratline (taken as verbal noun)
To rattle is to make a very rapid, short series of knocking or tapping sounds. You might impatiently rattle the quarters in your pocket as you await your turn at the pinball machine. Ice cubes rattle in your glass of lemonade, and beads rattle in a jar. Something else that rattles is a baby's rattle, a noisy toy that's filled with small balls or pellets. Figuratively, to rattle someone is to upset or irritate them, like the way a sudden thunderstorm might rattle your timid poodle. Experts trace this word back to the Middle Dutch ratelen, which they believe to be imitative since it sounds a bit like a rattle.
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He was born in Oxford, England, in 1975, and became assistant to Simon Rattle at the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the unheard-of age of 17.
From Los Angeles Times • May 26, 2026
Upon turning 70 last year, Simon Rattle contended “Missa Solemnis” remains beyond him.
From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 24, 2026
Conductor Sir Simon Rattle spoke of her as a "flying hermit", always in orbit and only occasionally visiting Earth.
From BBC • Mar. 14, 2025
His video “Pro Musician Jams With Street Performer on Subway” notates a saxophonist on the London Underground as he spontaneously engages a guitarist in a version of Big Joe Turner’s “Shake, Rattle and Roll.”
From New York Times • Mar. 12, 2024
Then came the voice once again, soft and spooky this time, "Rattle my bones," it said.
From "Matilda" by Roald Dahl
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.
