bustle

[buhs-uhl]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bustle ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used without object), bus·tled, bus·tling.

to move or act with a great show of energy (often followed by about): He bustled about cooking breakfast.

to abound or teem with something; display an abundance of something; teem (often followed by with): The office bustled with people and activity.

verb (used with object), bus·tled, bus·tling.

to cause to bustle; hustle.

noun

thriving or energetic activity; stir; ferment.

Origin of bustle

1615–25; Middle English bustelen to hurry aimlessly along, perhaps akin to Old Norse busla to splash about, bustle

Related formsbus·tler, nounbus·tling·ly, adverbun·bus·tling, adjective

Synonyms for bustle

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR bustle ON THESAURUS.COM

4. ado, flurry, agitation, fuss.

bustle

[buhs-uh l]

noun

fullness around or below the waist of a dress, as added by a peplum, bows, ruffles, etc.

a pad, cushion, or framework formerly worn under the back of a woman's skirt to expand, support, and display the full cut and drape of a dress.

Origin of bustle

First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain

Related formsbus·tled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for bustle

tumult, hubbub, commotion, hum, scurry, flit, pother, turmoil, to-do, fuss, do, agitation, whirlwind, excitement, whirl, flurry, haste, rumpus, furor, ado

Examples from the Web for bustle

Contemporary Examples of bustle

After nine months, McKeever gradually began to introduce Roger to the bustle and noise of New York.
Central Park’s Carriages Saved This Horse
Michael Daly
April 24, 2014
There is much purposeful hustle and bustle but tasks go uncompleted; confusion reigns.
Inside The EuroMaidan’s Circle Of Trust
Jamie Dettmer
March 10, 2014
Since the film is set in the 19th century, Jones was outfitted in a series of Victorian era gowns, replete with bodice and bustle.
Felicity Jones Is Bound for Stardom
Marlow Stern
December 29, 2013
The bustle of the newsroom is a mere backdrop for self-involved characters to give talky speeches and taunt each other.
Aaron Sorkin’s Cable Crackup: Why His HBO Series Is a Snooze
Howard Kurtz
June 22, 2012
I miss the hustle and bustle of New York when I fly in to speak or for meetings.
Rebecca Walker’s ‘Black Cool’ Promotes the Non-Material Side of Black Culture
Allison Samuels
February 4, 2012

Historical Examples of bustle

Meanwhile there had been bustle and preparation in all parts of the great vessel.
The White Company
Arthur Conan Doyle
During this time there was a bustle of much interest in the paddock.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
What is there in it, says she, that all this bustle is about?
Clarissa, Volume 2 (of 9)
Samuel Richardson
It's no trial to you, Mark, to make yourself comfortable and to bustle about.
Life And Adventures Of Martin Chuzzlewit
Charles Dickens
I heard the bustle of the others—of the audience going away.
The First Violin
Jessie Fothergill

British Dictionary definitions for bustle

bustle

verb

(when intr , often foll by about) to hurry or cause to hurry with a great show of energy or activity

noun

energetic and noisy activity

Derived Formsbustler, nounbustling, adjective

Word Origin for bustle

C16: probably from obsolete buskle to make energetic preparation, from dialect busk from Old Norse būask to prepare

bustle

noun

a cushion or a metal or whalebone framework worn by women in the late 19th century at the back below the waist in order to expand the skirt

Word Origin for bustle

C18: of unknown origin

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

Word Origin and History for bustle

"be active," 1570s (bustling "noisy or excited activity" is from early 15c.), frequentative of Middle English bresten "to rush, break," from Old English bersten (see burst (v.)), influenced by Old Norse buask "to make oneself ready" (see busk (v.)), or from busk (v.) via a frequentative form buskle. Related: Bustled; bustling; bustler.

n.2

"padding in a skirt," 1788, of uncertain origin, perhaps from German Buschel "bunch, pad," or it might be a special use of bustle (n.1) with reference to "rustling motion."

BUSTLE. A pad stuffed with cotton, feathers, bran, &c., worn by ladies for the double purpose of giving a greater rotundity or prominence to the hips, and setting off the smallness of the waist. [Bartlett, "Dictionary of Americanisms," 1848]

n.1

"activity, stir, fuss, commotion," 1630s, from bustle (v.).