hustler

noun

hus·​tler ˈhə-slər 

plural hustlers

: a person who hustles: such as

a

: one who obtains money by fraud or deceit : scammer, swindler

A financial hustler who orchestrated the theft of $6.5 million from investors …

—Shayna Jacobs and Alec Tabak

… most of the eight major frauds Minkow helped uncover in the past year have involved hustlers trying to sell investments to church groups.

—Adam Zagorin

b

: one who lures less skillful players into competing at a gambling game

a pool hustler

This is where the chess hustlers have seized their opportunity. Camped out at the picnic tables in Harvard Square, these seasoned locals will play with you—for a price.

—Evan Zigmond

c

: an athlete who plays with alert energy and aggressiveness

By always being the teacher's pet, by being a hustler in football practice and by being the fringe member of many social groups but the leader of none, Kelly managed to mask his insecurities.

—Michael Reese

d

: sex worker

a male hustler

"Beat" is old carny slang. According to Beat Movement legend … , Ginsberg and Kerouac picked it up from a character named Herbert Huncke, a gay street hustler and drug addict from Chicago who began hanging around Times Square in 1939 …

—Louis Menand

Synonyms

• bawd
• call girl
• cocotte
• courtesan
• drab
• hooker
• prostitute
• sex worker
• streetwalker
• tart
• whore

Examples of hustler in a Sentence

policemen kept the street clean of hustlers

the ad for the sales job claims that for someone who's a real hustler, the sky's the limit

Recent Examples on the Web

Power-hungry hustlers kiss up to the nation’s leader, in the hopes of gaining favor and status. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 22 Nov. 2024

Early cinematic collaborations full of colorful characters like drug addicts and street hustlers include in 1965 Space and My Hustler, a year later with The Velvet Underground and Nico: A Symphony of Sound and San Diego Surf and Lonesome Cowboys in 1968. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 28 Oct. 2024

However, the day following the fight, the robbery, a hustler named Chicken Man (Kevin Hart) and Atlanta’s first Black detective, J.D. Hudson (Don Cheadle), were front page news. —Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 10 Oct. 2024

And amid this field of middle-class hustlers, mommy-issues try-hards, and a few downright criminals, the power rankings can flip at a moment’s notice. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 15 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above