rustle
Americanverb (used without object)
-
rustles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rustled,
past participle, past
-
rustling
present participle
-
to make a succession of slight, soft sounds, as of parts rubbing gently one on another, as leaves, silks, or papers.
-
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)
-
rustles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
rustled,
past participle, past
-
rustling
present participle
-
to move or stir so as to cause a rustling sound.
The wind rustled the leaves.
-
to move, bring, or get by energetic action.
I'll go rustle some supper.
-
to steal (livestock, especially cattle).
noun
-
rustles
plural
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:
Here you can almost hear the sound of the marching soldiers’ boots striking the ground and the rustle of their equipment.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026
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
Before dawn, he would pedal out there on an old bicycle, clearing weeds and feeding cows, the world silent except for the rustle of palm leaves.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 28, 2025
All of a sudden, a rustle and then a thump in a bush ahead made Omakayas freeze.
From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich
A fierce ocean breeze rustles the trees and hawks circle low overhead as Calderon and Murphey make their way down a dirt path at the site.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 10, 2023
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 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
The branch I’m gripping for balance rustles and creaks.
From "The Bletchley Riddle" by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
Outside of the Huddleston family home, a “Don’t Tread on Me” flag rustled in the yard next to a DirecTV satellite dish.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
In the last row of his fields in southeastern France, the wind rustled through the brown leaves of vines that overheated during a blaze that swept the region this summer.
From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026
And one, the veteran campaigner Graeme McCormick had rustled up enough supporters to force a leadership contest.
From BBC ● May 6, 2024
A warm breeze rustled through the dead palm trees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 20, 2023
They did so, while the reeds rustled stiffly in the sun-heated air, and the old donkey chewed patiently on the leaves a little distance away, where he had rolled himself out another nest.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Following a moment of silence, listening to the wind and rustling leaves, he says, “The sun is healing us.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 13, 2026
Bold purple and magenta animations of galloping warriors silhouetted against rustling pines cover entire walls.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 7, 2026
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
Authorities were alerted to the men's live cargo when hotel staff, who had been asked to look after their luggage, noticed the suitcases making a "rustling noise", police told local media.
From BBC ● May 11, 2025
A few moments later, rustling came from the brush behind me and the first of the trolls appeared, ugly and smelly as ever.
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
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.
