Synonyms of hustle

hustle 1 of 2

noun

1

as in rush

excited and often showy or disorderly speed

enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the holiday season

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rush
• hurry
• scramble
• speed
• precipitation
• bustle
• haste
• quickness
• hastiness
• precipitousness
• dash
• stir
• scurry
• velocity
• impetuousness
• scuttle
• impulsiveness
• impulsivity
• stampede
• flurry
• flutter
• beeline
• expedition
• rapidity
• swiftness
• promptness
• rashness
• whirl
• impetuosity
• celerity
• dispatch
• promptitude
• fleetness
• hotheadedness
• rapidness
• speediness
• fastness
• expeditiousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• deliberation
• deliberateness
• slowness
• procrastination
• lethargy
• lateness
• inertia
• sluggishness
• languor
• inaction
• torpor
• inactivity
• dilatoriness
• pokiness
• inertness
• quiescence
• leisureliness
• dormancy

2

as in ambition

readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity

with his characteristic hustle, he had all the plans for the conference lined up in a matter of days

Synonyms & Similar Words

• ambition
• initiative
• action
• drive
• aggressiveness
• enterprise
• spirit
• grit
• go
• vigor
• energy
• gumption
• spunk
• pluck
• killer instinct
• starch
• assertiveness
• pep
• ambitiousness
• vitality
• self-reliance
• snap
• hardihood
• overambitiousness

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inertia
• inactivity
• passivity
• hesitation
• reluctance
• timidity
• diffidence
• laziness
• lethargy
• indolence
• faintheartedness

3

as in scam

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value

a clever hustle that tricked people into revealing their bank account information

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scam
• fraud
• con
• swindle
• sting
• shell game
• flimflam
• bunko
• scheme
• fiddle
• bunco
• hoax
• trick
• device
• racket
• cross
• Ponzi scheme
• dodge
• counterfeit
• pyramid scheme
• fix
• ploy
• wile
• stratagem
• jig
• soaking
• fake
• gouging
• rip-off
• sham
• phoney
• gimmick
• forgery
• phony
• overcharging
• sleight
• humbug
• three-card monte
• thimblerig

hustle

2 of 2

verb

ˈhə-səl 

1

as in to struggle

to devote serious and sustained effort

everyone really hustled to get the project finished on schedule

Synonyms & Similar Words

• struggle
• labor
• strive
• work
• endeavor
• try
• toil
• slave
• sweat
• tug
• plow
• hump
• strain
• dig (away)
• drudge
• plug
• bang away
• grub
• plod
• slog
• travail
• apply (oneself)
• peg (away)
• beaver (away)
• fag
• sweat blood
• moil
• buckle (down)
• drive
• attack
• exercise
• pitch in
• exert
• overwork
• essay
• scratch
• wade
• eke out
• dig in
• knuckle down
• hammer (away)
• grind (out)
• trudge
• overexert
• put out
• scrabble

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• break
• ease (up)
• bum
• slacken
• rest
• let up
• chill
• hang (around or out)
• lounge
• shirk
• idle
• relax
• hack (around)
• goof (off)
• laze
• slack (off)
• unwind
• bask
• loaf
• play
• repose
• hang
• loll
• veg out
• fool around
• dabble
• trifle
• goldbrick
• footle
• dillydally
• goof (around)
• dally
• mess around
• monkey (around)
• doodle
• hang about
• putter (around)
• potter (around)
• fribble

2

as in to speed

to proceed or move quickly

we'd better hustle, or we'll miss the train

Synonyms & Similar Words

• speed
• hurry
• rush
• race
• travel
• drive
• scurry
• fly
• trot
• zip
• chase
• buzz
• jump
• run
• scoot
• blow
• bustle
• step
• dash
• dart
• tear
• blast
• scuttle
• career
• rip
• motor
• breeze
• shoot
• jog
• zoom
• whirl
• bowl
• rustle
• ram
• course
• crack (on)
• jet
• hump
• hare
• bolt
• blaze
• rocket
• belt
• bundle
• hurl
• barrel
• highball
• hasten
• hurtle
• whisk
• beat it
• nip
• hie
• step on it
• get a move on
• pelt
• make tracks
• careen
• gallop
• bomb
• shake a leg
• hotfoot (it)
• cannonball
• streak
• flit
• scamper
• sprint
• accelerate
• stampede
• whiz
• beetle
• scuffle
• overtake
• outrun
• step out
• whizz
• quicken
• outpace
• catch up
• outstrip
• scud
• arrow
• fast-forward
• beeline

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• creep
• drag
• crawl
• hang (around or out)
• poke
• lag
• linger
• dawdle
• loiter
• stroll
• poke
• shuffle
• tarry
• amble
• slow (down or up)
• saunter
• lumber
• plod
• decelerate
• dillydally
• dally

3

as in to pluck

to rob by the use of trickery or threats

a swindler who hustled cashiers by getting them all confused while they were making change

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pluck
• squeeze
• cheat
• sting
• beat
• stick
• do
• screw
• shortchange
• flimflam
• defraud
• deceive
• swindle
• trick
• short
• sucker
• rook
• shake down
• stiff
• victimize
• bleed
• rip off
• con
• skin
• fiddle
• gaff
• bilk
• fool
• exploit
• chouse
• ream
• chisel
• fleece
• diddle
• euchre
• mulct
• take for a ride
• skunk
• cozen
• take to the cleaners
• nobble
• hose
• extort
• betray
• thimblerig
• wrench
• do in
• soak
• nick
• sell a bill of goods to
• clip
• overcharge
• gouge
• wrest
• milk
• bitch
• rope (in)
• wring
• gull
• dupe
• bamboozle
• double-cross
• fast-talk

Examples of hustle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

School runs, work, squeeze in a sports practice or a music lesson (maybe both), get dinner on the table, and hop on the bedtime train — the daily hustle alone wears us all out. —Miranda Rake, Parents, 8 Oct. 2024

The lines get blurred once the Russian mob gets involved and the duo need to figure out a way to keep their hustle going while staying alive. —Andreas Wiseman, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2024

Verb

But before Hollywood producers were lining up to woo him to their projects, Mescal was hustling to make ends meet. —Nicolas Vega, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2024

That means hustling through a shower and getting dressed; a friend is picking me up for a day of thrift shopping and hitting the Amish grocery stores. —R29 Team, refinery29.com, 11 Oct. 2024