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rattle

1
[ rat-l ]
/ ˈræt l /
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See synonyms for: rattle / rattled / rattling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used without object), rat·tled, rat·tling.
verb (used with object), rat·tled, rat·tling.
noun

OTHER WORDS FOR rattle

9 clatter; clanging, clanking, clinking.
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Origin of rattle

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb rat(t)elen, ratlen, cognate with Dutch ratelen, German rasseln ); of imitative origin

Other definitions for rattle (2 of 2)

rattle2
[ rat-l ]
/ ˈræt l /

verb (used with object), rat·tled, rat·tling.Nautical.
to furnish with ratlines (usually followed by down).

Origin of rattle

2
First recorded in 1720–30; back formation from ratlingratline (taken as verbal noun)
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rattle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rattle (1 of 3)

rattle1
/ (ˈrætəl) /

verb
noun

Word Origin for rattle

C14: from Middle Dutch ratelen; related to Middle High German razzen, of imitative origin

British Dictionary definitions for rattle (2 of 3)

rattle2
/ (ˈrætəl) /

verb
(tr often foll by down) to fit (a vessel or its rigging) with ratlines

Word Origin for rattle

C18: back formation from rattling, variant of ratline

British Dictionary definitions for rattle (3 of 3)

Rattle
/ (ˈrætəl) /

noun
Sir Simon . born 1955, English conductor. Principal conductor (1980–91) and music director (1991–98) of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra; chief conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra from 2002
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
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