hustle

verb hus·tle \ ˈhə-səl \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: hustle in a Sentence

Definition of hustle

hustled; hustling play \ˈhə-s(ə-)liŋ\

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 : shove, press

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.

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hustle

noun

—

hustler

play \ˈhə-slər\ noun

See hustle defined for English-language learners

See hustle defined for kids

Examples of hustle in a Sentence

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 of hustle from the Web

As more workers in their 40s and beyond plan to delay retirement until their mid-60s, a growing number will have to hustle to reassert their value to their employers.

— sue shellenbarger, WSJ, "In a Digital Era, How Can Older Workers Stay in the Game?," 22 May 2018
The Dolphins’ 2018 first-round pick worked with his father in the garage, and assisted him with his side hustles often.

— omar kelly, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Dolphins hoping Minkah Fitzpatrick can fix Miami's lackluster defense," 11 May 2018
The four electric motors (one for each wheel) combine to produce a gargantuan 750 horsepower, enough to hustle this behemoth of a car up to 155 mph.

— alex davies, WIRED, "Mercedes' Electric Maybach SUV Comes With a Built-In Tea Kettle," 24 Apr. 2018
Both had their problems defensively, struggling to stay in front of their men and at separate times going to the bench for failing to hustle back on defense.

— matt velazquez, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Celtics 120, Bucks 106: Lackluster Milwaukee falls into a 2-0 hole in the series," 17 Apr. 2018
Bush, who was making a farewell visit to the country at the time, avoided being hit by the shoes, but al-Zaidi was bundled to the ground and hustled out of the room by security officials.

— mohammed tawfeeq, CNN, "Iraqi who threw shoes at President Bush runs for Iraqi parliament," 2 May 2018
No need to hustle; coast at a pace that feels right for you.

— catherine urban, Bon Appetit, "Your May Horoscope Knows That What Lies Ahead Is Actually Just Potato Chips," 1 May 2018
The film tells the story of a woman from the Bronx who learns the art of hustling from her father.

— sydney scott, Essence.com, "The Quick Read: Kevin Hart Relives Cheating Scandal In J. Cole's 'Kevin's Heart' Video," 25 Apr. 2018
Apple hustled to patch the flaw and did so the next day via an automatic update.

— will oremus, Slate Magazine, "All Apple’s Apologies," 2 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'hustle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.