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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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The bet from Paraguay—and potentially any other opponent hoping to rattle Les Bleus—was that the French players would lose their heads eventually.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 9, 2026
And while risks of “renewed flare-ups” and headlines that could rattle investors, those dips should still be bought.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 6, 2026
Aftershocks continued to rattle the country into Sunday morning.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 29, 2026
That’s a headache for many companies but unlikely to rattle the market, which is coming to terms with the view that tariffs are here to stay—but with some guardrails.
From Barron's ● Jun. 3, 2026
I heard the distant rattle of wheels on rails, felt the air rush past, and then there was silence.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
The night ended with Jools Holland and Eric Clapton performing Shake, Rattle & Roll, joined by the other artists on stage.
From BBC ● Jan. 21, 2025
The latest season of the murder mystery comedy series gave Short’s character, Oliver Putnam, a chance to turn his murder mystery stage play into an outrageous Broadway musical called “Death Rattle Dazzle!”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2024
Adams was just back in town after the London premiere of his latest wild and wildly engaging symphonic score, “Frenzy,” conducted by Simon Rattle with the London Symphony.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 4, 2024
Few productions have been as cataclysmic as Oliver Putnam’s “Death Rattle Dazzle,” a misbegotten gothic about murderous infants, re-conceived as a glittery musical.
From New York Times ● Oct. 3, 2023
I just found this new band Piggy's Death Rattle.
From "From Twinkle, with Love" by Sandhya Menon
"So, when someone rattles you, knocks you off your game, breaks your focus, you find yourself interrupted, paused, with changing disrupting rhythms."
From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026
In the months ahead, he must lay the groundwork for consensus between nearly 200 nations even as the war rattles energy markets, nations scramble for fuel supply and climate change slips down the priority list.
From Barron's ● Jun. 8, 2026
The thought of garnishing wages from seniors on fixed incomes particularly rattles Pressley.
From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2026
Sometimes, the bronze casing of the building rattles against the glass windows.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 18, 2026
We know this rattles her, too, because her hands are shaking as she stirs the remaining grits in the pot.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Those inflation concerns dovetail with another factor that Lee thinks has rattled the market in recent sessions: the possibility that the Federal Reserve will raise interest rates on Wednesday.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
Armed with ferocious intent and a forward line ravenous for turnover ball, Mayo rattled Kerry during a period when they clawed back from seven points down to revive their hopes.
From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026
For several months now, stocks linked to the sector have been regularly rattled by such fears.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
The family was ultimately able to board after an Air Canada representative reissued a ticket; however, the entire airport experience left the family rattled.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026
Mamá’s warning rattled around in the back of my head.
From "Summer of the Mariposas" by Guadalupe García McCall
High fuel prices, which are currently rattling the industry, have previously been a catalyst for airline industry shake-ups.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026
The weeks-long hospitalization of Mitch McConnell, the former Republican leader in the US Senate, was rattling his party's narrow majority on Tuesday as members awaited word on whether he would return.
From Barron's ● Jul. 7, 2026
Once I grew up just enough to start grocery shopping according to a budget — not merely the amount of cash rattling around in my wallet that week — I realized something peculiar.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
The drama, the music, the pow-pow-pow of those 6-inch guns and those gallant—yes, “most beautiful”—ships rattling amid the waves.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
I slammed my palms on the table, rattling my empty plate.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
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.
