rustled; rustling
ˈrə-s(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to make or cause a rustle
2
a
: to act or move with energy or speed
b
: to forage food
3
: to steal cattle
1
: to cause to rustle
2
a
: to obtain by one's own exertions
—often used with up
able to rustle up $5,000 bail—
Jack McCallum
Jack McCallum
b
: forage
3
: to steal (livestock) especially from a farm or ranch
: a quick succession or confusion of small sounds
Synonyms
Examples of rustle in a Sentence
Verb
The trees rustled in the wind.
Her skirt rustled as she walked.
He rustled the papers on his desk.
Noun
He heard a rustle of leaves behind him.
Recent Examples on the WebPitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024
This is a dark drama about a pair of Irish families who are shepherds and get into a blood feud over an incident of sheep rustling.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Benjamin Cassidy, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Oct. 2024
There’s the rustle of tea leaves and paper as first one, then another spoonful of tea leaves is taken from a paper bag and poured into the teapot, then the sound of water being poured over the tea leaves, but such sounds can be heard only in the kitchen.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rustle 
Verb
Her instincts as a producer reject unnecessary polish, and snatch up the clacking, booming, rustling din of existence.
—Pitchfork, 1 Oct. 2024
This is a dark drama about a pair of Irish families who are shepherds and get into a blood feud over an incident of sheep rustling.
—Scott Phillips, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Noun
All around them, acorns pinball to the forest floor as leaves rustle in the mid-September wind.
—Benjamin Cassidy, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Oct. 2024
There’s the rustle of tea leaves and paper as first one, then another spoonful of tea leaves is taken from a paper bag and poured into the teapot, then the sound of water being poured over the tea leaves, but such sounds can be heard only in the kitchen.
—Andrew Cockburn, Harper's Magazine, 22 Aug. 2024
See all Example Sentences for rustle
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rustle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Rustle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rustle. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rustle
1 of 2 verb
rus·tle
ˈrəs-əl
rustled; rustling
ˈrəs-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to make or cause to make a rustle
2
: to act or move with energy
3
: to steal (as cattle) from the range
rustle
2 of 2 noun
: a quick series of small sounds
the rustle of leaves
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