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rattling

American  
[rat-ling] / ˈræt lɪŋ /

adjective

  1. that rattles: rattle.

    a rattling door.

  2. remarkably good, lively, or fast.

    a rattling talk; a rattling gallop.

adverb

  1. very.

    a rattling good time.
rattling British  
/ ˈrætlɪŋ /

adverb

  1. informal (intensifier qualifying something good, fine, pleasant, etc)

    a rattling good lunch
"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

Other Word Forms

  • rattlingly adverb

Etymology

Origin of rattling

1350–1400; Middle English ratelinge; rattle 1, -ing 2

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.

"He's on his own, rattling around in his big house with all these demons and ghosts, and the consequences of his deeds come rushing back in."

From BBC

A “planned” transition involving the exits of two sales leaders is also rattling investors.

From The Wall Street Journal

While I was putting on my clothes, I heard the rattling of pots and pans.

From Literature

Eventually substitute Lopez got a spectacular third, rattling home a long-range effort in off the post.

From Barron's

The risks are now rattling even some AI company staffers.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.