rustle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
to make a succession of slight, soft sounds, as of parts rubbing gently one on another, as leaves, silks, or papers.
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to cause such sounds by moving or stirring something.
-
to move, proceed, or work energetically.
Rustle around and see what you can find.
verb (used with object)
-
to move or stir so as to cause a rustling sound.
The wind rustled the leaves.
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to move, bring, or get by energetic action.
I'll go rustle some supper.
-
to steal (livestock, especially cattle).
noun
verb phrase
verb
-
to make or cause to make a low crisp whispering or rubbing sound, as of dry leaves or paper
-
to move with such a sound
noun
verb
-
to steal (cattle, horses, etc)
-
informal to move swiftly and energetically
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
rustlesimple
-
rustlessimple
-
have rustledperfect
-
has rustledperfect
-
am rustlingprogressive
-
are rustlingprogressive
-
is rustlingprogressive
-
have been rustlingperfect progressive
-
has been rustlingperfect progressive
Past
-
rustledsimple
-
had rustledperfect
-
was rustlingprogressive
-
were rustlingprogressive
-
had been rustlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of rustle
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb rustlen; compare Frisian russelje, Dutch ridselen; imitative of the sound
Explanation
A rustle can be the dry sounds made by papers rubbing together or leaves crackling. It can also be the act of searching, stealing, finding food, or making rustle sounds. Rustle has a whole lotta meanings! Walking home late at night, you hear a rustle behind you. Maybe it’s just leaves, but you’re spooked, so you rustle around in your knapsack, searching for a weapon. You turn, and it’s just a hungry friend, so you bring him home and rustle up some food from your cupboards. As your friend leaves, he rustles all your cows and takes them away.
Vocabulary lists containing rustle
List 8
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The One and Only Ivan
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"The Veldt" by Ray Bradbury
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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.
See Examples For:
Our ancestors whose attention drifted past the rustle in the grass left fewer descendants than those who froze, looked and listened.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 16, 2026
There is no rustle of pages or stacks of best-selling novels at the pop-up store opened by the Amazon subsidiary on the Lower East Side in Manhattan.
From Barron's ● May 2, 2026
Do labor leaders really think they can’t rustle up a quarter of their members to ensure the union preserves its role in representing workers?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
At a paddy field two kilometres from Jakarta's international airport, the rustle of fluttering kites is periodically drowned out by the thunderous roar of plane engines.
From BBC ● Aug. 1, 2025
Maybe night noises scared them—the barking of foxes, the shrill screech of owls, the rustle of unseen deer in the woods.
From "The Old Willis Place" by Mary Downing Hahn
The shadows and rustles of forests are natural fodder for fear, especially if you’re not used to them, but among those who know, the Appalachians are another beast entirely.
From National Geographic ● Oct. 13, 2023
A gentle breeze rustles the eucalyptus tree, its dark green foliage quivering under a cloudy Santa Ana sky.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2021
A gentle wind rustles the pine trees that swaddle the health resort, described by one guidebook as “a perfect spot for a romantic evening.”
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 24, 2020
It rustles through the air, then softly lands against your chest, just as he planned.
From Slate ● May 30, 2020
It rustles the leaves of apple trees and sets a rooster on a weather vane spinning.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
And one, the veteran campaigner Graeme McCormick had rustled up enough supporters to force a leadership contest.
From BBC ● May 6, 2024
Underfoot, beneath a plexiglass floor in the Prada showroom revamped for the new season, a man-made stream murmured over rocks and rustled leaves.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 14, 2024
Leaves rustled as Mike Cirone reached into a tree and gently picked an apple.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2023
A warm breeze rustled through the dead palm trees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2023
Wind rustled the trees and the chickens clucked for their afternoon meal.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
Wearing a thick navy jacket over a wool sweater, Ivannikov, the head of the department of tropical and subtropical plants, picked up a leaf that had just come rustling down.
From Barron's ● Feb. 12, 2026
As he walked around yelling Sparky’s name, Lopez heard a rustling behind him.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 18, 2025
Those contracts were good for generating headlines and rustling up new business for similar lawsuits around the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2025
The only sound is rustling pages and creaking chairs.
From BBC ● May 4, 2025
I touched her arm, and she stopped rustling around the kitchen long enough to look at me.
From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce
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.
