hustle

[ huhs-uhl ]

/ ˈhʌs əl /

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See synonyms for: hustle / hustling on Thesaurus.com

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

to proceed or work rapidly or energetically: The sisters hustled about, putting the house in order.

to push or force one's way; jostle or shove.

to be aggressive, especially in business or other financial dealings.

Slang. to earn one's living by illicit or unethical means.

Slang. (of a prostitute) to solicit clients.

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

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.

to urge, prod, or speed up: Hustle your work along.

to pressure or coerce (a person) to buy or do something: Our waiter hustled us into ordering more than we could eat.

to obtain by aggressive and often illicit means: He could always hustle a buck or two from some sucker.

to beg; solicit.

to sell in or work (an area), especially by high-pressure tactics: The souvenir vendors began hustling the town at dawn.

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

to jostle, push, or shove roughly.

Slang. to induce (someone) to gamble or to promote (a gambling game) when the odds of winning are overwhelmingly in one's own favor.

Slang. to cheat; swindle: They hustled him out of his savings.

Slang.

(of a prostitute) to solicit (someone).
to attempt to persuade (someone) to have sexual relations.

noun

energetic activity, as in work.

discourteous shoving, pushing, or jostling.

Slang.

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.
such a product, scheme, gambling game, etc.

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.

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.

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.

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Origin of hustle

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

OTHER WORDS FROM hustle

out·hus·tle, verb (used with object), out·hus·tled, out·hus·tling.un·hus·tled, adjectiveun·hus·tling, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use hustle in a sentence

I have a generous magician friend who plays Santa as a holiday side hustle.
When my daughter asked if Santa was real, my answer was yes|Vanessa McGrady|December 17, 2020|Washington Post
Amy Kean, founder of creative agency Six Things Impossible, believes the ad industry’s hustle culture is to blame for the growing pressure to perform and be visible.
‘An unhealthy level of guilt’: Culture of presentism is making it harder to justify taking sick days|Jessica Davies|December 16, 2020|Digiday
Seeing the hustle and drive everyone had around me, I had no choice but to go harder.
Dess Dior Is Stepping Into Her Own Lane|Joe Colucci|November 23, 2020|Essence.com
Both plays required Metcalf’s rare athleticism and hustle, but also his athletic intelligence.
Seahawks star DK Metcalf is impossible to miss. So how did the NFL miss on him?|Adam Kilgore|November 6, 2020|Washington Post

One of the things that we pride ourselves on here is respecting the hustle.
Respect the hustle, not the stupidity|Danny Crichton|October 22, 2020|TechCrunch
The others disappeared into the school, frantically hustling to try to make deals.
The Bizarro World Of Iowa’s GOP Convention|Ben Jacobs|June 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Rick Scott is over in Florida, and he is hustling business out of the state of Texas.
Rick Perry Is Coming for Your Job|David Freedlander|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Like all “overnight” successes, Gelman has spent the better part of two decades hustling in all media.
Brett Gelman Has Dinner with Your Favorite TV Sidekicks|Rich Goldstein|April 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The air in Lagos is one of striving, of hustling and it is a city that very easily leaves you behind.
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s Literary Lagos|Henry Krempels|March 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Privately, he had huge inhibitions about hustling, but he fought them down and sweated.
What It Was Like to Watch the Beatles Become the Beatles—Nik Cohn Remembers|Nik Cohn|February 9, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The machines were soon hustling through Washington Street as fast as the speed regulations would allow.
Motor Matt's "Century" Run|Stanley R. Matthews
I believe Ill call the flat The Hustleonly instead of its hustling like the car, well be the ones.
Those Dale Girls|Frank Weston Carruth
Even farming's got to be a science, and it keeps me hustling to learn what the new words mean in the agricultural papers.
A Hoosier Chronicle|Meredith Nicholson
She is positively brisk in hustling for apples in the orchard and for heads of oats around the oat stack.
The Red Cow and Her Friends|Peter McArthur
He gen'rally stirred up the most of his touse In hustling to save the outside of the house.
The Book of Humorous Verse|Various

British Dictionary definitions for hustle

hustle

/ (ˈhʌsəl) /

verb

to shove or crowd (someone) roughly

to move or cause to move hurriedly or furtivelyhe hustled her out of sight

(tr) to deal with or cause to proceed hurriedlyto hustle legislation through

slang to earn or obtain (something) forcefully

US and Canadian slang (of procurers and prostitutes) to solicit

noun

an instance of hustling

undue activity

a disco dance of the 1970s

Derived forms of hustle

hustler, noun

Word Origin for hustle

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

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

hustle

Origin of hustle

OTHER WORDS FROM hustle

Words related to hustle

How to use hustle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for hustle

Derived forms of hustle

Word Origin for hustle