hustle

[ huhs-uhl ]

verb (used without object)

, hus·tled, hus·tling.

1. to proceed or work rapidly or energetically:

   The sisters hustled about, putting the house in order.

2. to push or force one's way; jostle or shove.
3. to be aggressive, especially in business or other financial dealings.
4. Slang. to earn one's living by illicit or unethical means.
5. Slang. (of a prostitute) to solicit clients.

verb (used with object)

, hus·tled, hus·tling.

1. to convey or cause to move, especially to leave, roughly or hurriedly:

   His bodyguards hustled him out of the court past policemen and paramilitary soldiers.

2. to urge, prod, or speed up:

   Hustle your work along.

3. to pressure or coerce (a person) to buy or do something:

   Our waiter hustled us into ordering more than we could eat.

4. to obtain by aggressive and often illicit means:

   He could always hustle a buck or two from some sucker.

5. to beg; solicit.
6. to sell in or work (an area), especially by high-pressure tactics:

   The souvenir vendors began hustling the town at dawn.

7. to sell, promote, or publicize in a lively, vigorous, or aggressive manner:

   to hustle souvenirs.

8. to jostle, push, or shove roughly.
9. Slang. to induce (someone) to gamble or to promote (a gambling game) when the odds of winning are overwhelmingly in one's own favor.
10. Slang. to cheat; swindle:

    They hustled him out of his savings.

11. Slang.
    1. (of a prostitute) to solicit (someone).
    2. to attempt to persuade (someone) to have sexual relations.

noun

1. energetic activity, as in work.
2. discourteous shoving, pushing, or jostling.
3. Slang.
   1. an inducing by fraud, pressure, or deception, especially of inexperienced or uninformed persons, to buy something, participate in an illicit scheme or dishonest gambling game, etc.
   2. such a product, scheme, gambling game, etc.
4. Slang. a competitive struggle:

   Why not take a break from the hustle to find a place where the tranquility of nature frees your mind to do its most innovative thinking.

5. Slang. any means of earning a living; a paid job or occupation:

   The university denied him tenure, so I guess he has to find a new hustle.

6. a fast, lively, popular ballroom dance evolving from Latin American, swing, rock, and disco dance styles, with a strong basic rhythm and simple step pattern augmented by strenuous turns, breaks, etc.

hustle

/ ˈhʌsəl /

verb

1. to shove or crowd (someone) roughly
2. to move or cause to move hurriedly or furtively

   he hustled her out of sight

3. tr to deal with or cause to proceed hurriedly

   to hustle legislation through

4. slang.
   to earn or obtain (something) forcefully
5. slang.
   (of procurers and prostitutes) to solicit

noun

1. an instance of hustling
2. undue activity
3. a disco dance of the 1970s

Derived Forms

• ˈhustler, noun

Other Words From

• out·hus·tle verb (used with object) outhustled outhustling
• un·hus·tled adjective
• un·hus·tling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of hustle¹

First recorded in 1675–85; from Dutch husselen, hutselen “to shake, toss,” equivalent to hutsen “to shake” + -el- frequentative suffix; -le

Word History and Origins

Origin of hustle¹

C17: from Dutch husselen to shake, from Middle Dutch hutsen

Example Sentences

The hustle and desire to expand eventually led him to seek out his own space in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle.

From Eater

He was someone who could do a hustle and a scam just below the radar of getting law enforcement over the hump to care.

From Vox

At Directive, Izabelle combines her sales hustle mentality and creative writing expertise to cover a wide variety of SaaS marketing topics and support long-term marketing strategy.

From Search Engine Watch

What started as a side hustle — selling baked goods — turned into a full-time business in 2019.

From Digiday

Michelle Lovero-Holliday has taken a step back from the hustle of delivering groceries.

From Quartz

If nobody on the outside will send Teresa money, should she learn a prison hustle?

From The Daily Beast

The bar starts to get busy and the bartenders, two of whom are wearing Casa Bruja T-shirts, begin to really hustle.

From The Daily Beast

Her hustle has started to pay off and she started a 14-date national tour in early November.

From The Daily Beast

Halfway to the park, the hustle of Goma and outlying villages faded behind him.

From The Daily Beast

Summer vacations should offer a hiatus from the hustle but at the Hamptons everyone is selling or pushing someone or something.

From The Daily Beast

If we hustle right smart we can get a pen done 'fore dark, let alone gettin' them cattle into a shed.

From Project Gutenberg

You know Ive run the engine attached to The Hustle many a time; the men used to let me do it.

From Project Gutenberg

The tall Schree warriors, their long faces expressionless, started to hustle the three captives toward the door again.

From Project Gutenberg

I know pretty well when Christmas is comin', by the way I got to hustle, an' the size of the boxes I got to carry.

From Project Gutenberg

I want you to hustle back to the hotel and tell Frank that I'm here.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• rush