hustler
Americannoun
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an enterprising person determined to succeed; go-getter.
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Slang. a person who employs fraudulent or unscrupulous methods to obtain money; swindler.
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Informal. an expert gambler or game player who seeks out challengers, especially unsuspecting amateur ones, in order to win money from them.
He earned his living as a pool hustler.
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Slang. a prostitute.
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a person who hustles.
Etymology
Origin of hustler
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.
Stan Carlisle, a small-time hustler and the protagonist of the noirish tale “Nightmare Alley,” starts out as a card sharp, performing sleight-of-hand tricks.
From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 16, 2025
On Instagram, he has been much more brash about his "Midas touch" - saying he is a "hustler" who works hard.
From BBC • Jun. 21, 2025
And in Malcolm X, the complex street hustler turned Black nationalist firebrand worshipped by everyone from Stokely Carmichael to Clarence Thomas, Kendi believes he has the perfect subject for the moment.
From Los Angeles Times • May 13, 2025
“We New Yorkers used to tolerate him when he was just another crappy real estate hustler masquerading as a big shot,” he said.
From Salon • May 29, 2024
My reputation precedes me—Harlem’s hottest hustler, Detroit Red, is back and he’s black and he’s looking sharper than ever.
From "X: A Novel" by Ilyasah Shabazz
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.
