rattling
Americanadjective
-
that rattles.
a rattling door.
-
remarkably good, lively, or fast.
a rattling talk; a rattling gallop.
adverb
adverb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of rattling
Explanation
A rattling is a quick, often unsteady, burst of sounds. The sound of a rattlesnake is a good example of a rattling. You know how a baby rattle sounds? That kind of quick collection of sounds can be called a rattling. A rattling is disjointed and fast. Some machines — like a car engine — make a rattling sound when they're broken. The rattling of a rattlesnake’s tail is a sign you could be in serious danger from this venomous snake. Sometimes a doctor will hear a rattling in the lungs that indicates a respiratory illness. A rattling can also be called a rattle.
Vocabulary lists containing rattling
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
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Muffled
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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.
Another resident said aftershocks were still rattling the city hours after the initial tremor.
From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026
Two powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela on Wednesday, causing buildings to collapse in the capital of Caracas and rattling other cities as videos posted online showed people scrambling for safety.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026
Once I grew up just enough to start grocery shopping according to a budget — not merely the amount of cash rattling around in my wallet that week — I realized something peculiar.
From Salon ● Jun. 16, 2026
The drama, the music, the pow-pow-pow of those 6-inch guns and those gallant—yes, “most beautiful”—ships rattling amid the waves.
From Slate ● Jun. 11, 2026
While Ellidyr followed, the gwythaints swooped downward, the wind rattling in their flashing feathers.
From "The Black Cauldron" by Lloyd Alexander
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.
