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Synonyms

rattler

American  
[rat-ler] / ˈræt lər /

noun

  1. a rattlesnake.

  2. a person or thing that rattles.

  3. Informal. a fast freight train.


rattler British  
/ ˈrætlə /

noun

  1. something that rattles

  2. an informal name for rattlesnake

"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

Etymology

Origin of rattler

late Middle English word dating back to 1400–50; see origin at rattle 1, -er 1


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.

See Examples For:

"The four of us -- my husband, our two children, and I were on the bed," when the 7.7-magnitude rattler stuck just north of Flores island at around 5.30 am on Saturday.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

The first rattler occurred at a depth of 3.4 miles, and the largest quake was shallower, at 0.1 miles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2024

Whatever it was they found it in Boyd Fortin, a 13-year-old with blond locks and the carcass of a rattler in his hands.

From New York Times ● Apr. 25, 2023

On more than one occasion he's found himself under a house or a trailer in the wee hours of darkness tracking down a copperhead or rattler that needs to be moved.

From Scientific American ● Sep. 18, 2022

The whip was laying in front of him stretched out and resting like it was a rattler that had got a good bite in on someone.

From "The Journey of Little Charlie" by Christopher Paul Curtis

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