hustle

1 of 2

verb

hus·​tle ˈhə-səl How to pronounce hustle (audio)
hustled; hustling ˈhə-s(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce hustle (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to crowd or push roughly : jostle, shove
had been hustled into a jail cell with the other protesters
b
: to convey forcibly or hurriedly
… grabbed him by the arm and hustled him out the door …John Dos Passos
c
: to urge forward precipitately
hustling tourists from one museum to the next
2
a
: to obtain by energetic activity
usually used with up
hustle up new customers
try to hustle up some tickets to tonight's game
hustling up some grub
b
: to sell something to or obtain something from (someone) by energetic and especially underhanded activity : swindle
hustling the suckers
an elaborate scam to hustle the elderly
c
: to sell or promote energetically and aggressively
hustling a new product
d
: to lure less skillful players into competing against oneself at (a gambling game)
hustle pool

intransitive verb

1
2
: hasten, hurry
you'd better hustle if you want to catch the bus
3
a
: to make strenuous efforts to obtain especially money or business
Our quartet was out hustling … and we knew we stood good to take in a lot of change before the night was over.Louis Armstrong
b
: to obtain money by fraud or deception
c
: to engage in prostitution
4
: to play a game or sport in an alert aggressive manner
She's not the most talented player on the team, but she always hustles.

hustle

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: energetic activity
I … went about the hustle of summer life.Stephen W. Kress
You stepped out of Penn Station into the dizzying hustle of Eighth Avenue …Colson Whitehead
I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city.
b
chiefly US : effort and energy in playing a sport
a baseball player who has been criticized for lack of hustle
The fans admire them for their hustle.
a player known more for his hustle than his talent
2
informal : a dishonest plan for getting money : scam
Now, the secret of any hustle is that you have to have information that the other guy doesn't have.Paul Newman
… a once-inspired con man on his last hustleMarilyn Stasio

Examples of hustle in a Sentence

Verb The guards hustled the prisoners into the jail. The star's manager hustled him out the back door of the theater to avoid the throngs of fans. He's not the most talented player on the team, but he always hustles. He's been hustling drugs for a few years. They hustle diamonds, furs—whatever people are buying.
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Surveillance video provided by D.C. police shows the culprits getting out of a white sedan in pouring rain and hustling toward the store. Peter Hermann, Washington Post, 21 Mar. 2024 Suddenly, that security camera footage of an apex predator hustling through a City Hall parking garage as if late for a meeting with the mayor looks a little different. Paul Sisson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 16 Mar. 2024 For families hustling in the influencer industry, content creation has offered a viable financial path, but also a warped reality. Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 12 Mar. 2024 Residents hunkered down, ski resorts closed up shop, and snowplows hustled to clear roads as an enormous snowstorm descended on the Sierra Nevada on Friday, including the Lake Tahoe area, with as much as 12 feet of snow expected at the highest elevations and winds gusting over 100 miles an hour. Megan Michelson, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2024 In the early moments of Bryant’s debut, nominees Greta Lee (Past Lives) and Andrew Scott (All of Us Strangers) were seen entering the tent and hustling their way to their respective tables as two of the last stars to get seated. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 26 Feb. 2024 Arizona’s semiconductor industry is expanding rapidly, so chipmakers, government agencies and even nonprofit groups are hustling to build training programs to meet the industry’s need for skilled workers. The Arizona Republic, 25 Jan. 2024 When officers finally entered his classroom, he was hustled out with other students and loaded onto a school bus to get to the hospital as ambulances could not get through to the school. Rachel Clarke, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 The Warriors had hustled down the floor for a final shot, but David Mack’s wild 3-point try missed badly. John Maffei, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Feb. 2024
Noun
The hustle and bustle lasted into the 9 p.m. hour Friday, as lawmakers were eager to adjourn a week ahead of schedule without dipping into the weekend. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 9 Mar. 2024 The hustle and bustle of the setup is nothing compared to the action come 4:30, with hostesses seating diners at long cafeteria tables and Fry Kids running order slips to the kitchen. Sophie Carson, Journal Sentinel, 7 Mar. 2024 But recently for Sydney Bernhardt, some of it was spent in the middle of a busy uptown Charlotte crosswalk, trying to weave through the hustle and bustle of the city crowd and traffic — with an iPhone and a tripod in hand — to capture the perfect shot to post on Instagram. Chyna Blackmon, Charlotte Observer, 7 Mar. 2024 Among those outraged by the hamburger hustle was U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who once had a burger named after her in Harvard Square. Leonard Greene, The Mercury News, 6 Mar. 2024 As the hustle and bustle of the upcoming U.S. elections continues to captivate and sway the opinions of European political leaders, companies in Europe that have always remained neutral in the past, following the customs of the Old Continent, might have to change their way of doing business. Camille Fumard, Fortune Europe, 22 Feb. 2024 Bellevue Outside the hustle and bustle of Cincinnati, this Ohio River town has a relaxed vibe. Leo Bertucci, The Courier-Journal, 17 Feb. 2024 But despite its proximity to the hustle and bustle, the property—which overlooks the Tjampuhan Valley and River Oos—still feels like a true sanctuary. Annie Daly, Robb Report, 8 Mar. 2024 Just 51 miles away from New Orleans, Bay St. Louis couldn't feel further from the hustle and bustle. Southern Living Editors, Southern Living, 4 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hustle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Dutch husselen to shake, from Middle Dutch hutselen, frequentative of hutsen

First Known Use

Verb

1720, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of hustle was in 1720

Dictionary Entries Near hustle

Cite this Entry

“Hustle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hustle. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

hustle

verb
hus·​tle ˈhəs-əl How to pronounce hustle (audio)
hustled; hustling ˈhəs-(ə-)liŋ How to pronounce hustle (audio)
1
: to push, crowd, or force forward roughly
hustled the prisoner to jail
2
: to move or work rapidly and tirelessly
3
: to sell something to or get something from by energetic and especially dishonest activity
hustle noun
hustler noun

More from Merriam-Webster on hustle

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