- present participle of bustle.
bustling
Americanadjective
-
moving or acting with a great show of energy.
I watched her preparing lunch in the kitchen—a compact, bustling woman of around forty with her hair in a tight bun.
-
abounding or teeming with people or activities that create an atmosphere of energy.
This midwestern city is a bustling hub for business, education, recreation, and government.
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of bustling
First recorded in 1425–75; bustl(e) 1 ( def. ) + -ing 2 ( def. ) for the adjective senses; bustl(e) 1 ( def. ) + -ing 1 ( def. ) for the noun sense
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.
There are so few cars in Cuba's capital that it is possible to cross the Malecon, the once bustling seafront promenade, without looking.
From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026
On the sidewalk in front of the bustling restaurant, the Wong family had set up a table selling Heart’s-branded T-shirts, with all proceeds going to the Wongs’ retirement fund.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Cafes, shops and big apartment blocks were bustling with activity in the baking Athens heat.
From BBC ● Aug. 7, 2026
Kicking over the traces of domesticity, Aurore left her family for the capital in 1831 and quickly immersed herself in Paris’s bustling literary scene.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
The whole place was bustling with humans and robots, and everyone seemed to know exactly where they were going.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
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.
