bustled; bustling
ˈbəs-liŋ 
ˈbə-sə-
1
: to move briskly and often ostentatiously
bustled around the kitchen
2
: to be busily astir : teem
The house was bustling with activity.
: noisy, energetic, and often obtrusive activity
the hustle and bustle of the big city
clothing
: a pad or framework expanding and supporting the fullness and drapery of the back of a woman's skirt or dress
the bustle of a 19th century wedding gown
also
: the drapery so supported
Synonyms
Verb
Noun (1)
- ado
- alarums and excursions
- ballyhoo
- blather
- bluster
- bobbery
- bother
- clatter
- clutter [chiefly dialect]
- coil
- commotion
- corroboree [Australian]
- disturbance
- do [chiefly dialect]
- foofaraw
- fun
- furor
- furore
- fuss
- helter-skelter
- hoo-ha
- hoo-hah
- hoopla
- hubble-bubble
- hubbub
- hullabaloo
- hurly
- hurly-burly
- hurricane
- hurry
- hurry-scurry
- hurry-skurry
- kerfuffle [chiefly British]
- moil
- pandemonium
- pother
- row
- ruckus
- ruction
- rumpus
- shindy
- splore [Scottish]
- squall
- stew
- stir
- storm
- to-do
- tumult
- turmoil
- uproar
- welter
- whirl
- williwaw
- zoo
Examples of bustle in a Sentence
Verb
She bustled around the kitchen getting ready for dinner guests.
on Saturdays the city's downtown bustles with activity as a farmers' market sets up shop
Noun (1)
I couldn't concentrate in all the bustle of the student lounge
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Reid, Travel + Leisure, 25 Dec. 2024
Gunna hit the stage at nearly 3 a.m. for a crowd of roughly 5,000 people (per festival representatives) packing out Lagos’s Eko Convention Center, a premier entertainment venue in the bustling West African metropolis.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024
Lauren Green, Fox News, 24 Dec. 2024
Having open shelving a bit further from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen can also help mitigate any dust-collecting humidity.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bustle 
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Verb
Brisbane also tends to bustle during major events such as Ekka, the state's nine-day annual agricultural show, as well as the Ampol State of Origin rugby series, which typically takes place May through July.
—Sarah Reid, Travel + Leisure, 25 Dec. 2024
Gunna hit the stage at nearly 3 a.m. for a crowd of roughly 5,000 people (per festival representatives) packing out Lagos’s Eko Convention Center, a premier entertainment venue in the bustling West African metropolis.
—Mankaprr Conteh, Rolling Stone, 23 Dec. 2024
Noun
In the last few decades, that knowledge has taken a back seat to the hustle and bustle of shopping, parties and Santa Claus.
—Lauren Green, Fox News, 24 Dec. 2024
Having open shelving a bit further from the hustle and bustle of the kitchen can also help mitigate any dust-collecting humidity.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 22 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bustle
Dictionary Entries Near bustle
Cite this Entry
“Bustle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bustle. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bustle
1 of 2 verb
bus·tle
ˈbəs-əl
bustled; bustling
ˈbəs-(ə-)liŋ
: to move about busily or noisily
bustle
2 of 2 noun
: noisy or energetic activity
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