hustle

verb hus·tle \ ˈhə-səl \

|Updated on: 7 Aug 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

Hall, who lives in Fort Lauderdale, was hustled to Broward Health Medical Center for surgery.

— david j. neal, miamiherald, "Harley rider loses his foot in a hit-and-run crash with SUV carrying a Gators plate," 13 June 2018
Sanders was soon hustled into the Oval Office shortly before Trump tweeted about the hiring.

— the washington post, NOLA.com, "As a willing warrior for Trump, Sarah Huckabee Sanders struggles to maintain credibility," 5 May 2018
The animal was hustled into the back of a police cruiser and deposited by Czech deep into Pennypack Park.

— mike newall, Philly.com, "The Ballad of the Game Warden and the South Philly Coyote | Mike Newall," 27 Apr. 2018
Pulling up in a white SUV, Daniels was hustled inside quickly, flanked by her security guards.

— christal hayes, USA TODAY, "Despite busy news week, the show must go on for Stormy Daniels," 20 Apr. 2018
Clark charged the dais again but was hustled out by friends.

— dale kasler, tony bizjak, nashelly chavez and hudson sangree, sacbee, "Protesters block Golden 1 Center, again, after disrupting council meeting on shooting of Stephon Clark," 28 Mar. 2018
And finally, 50 minutes later, the pig peed into the clear plastic bag and was hustled off once more – this time, to stand in front of Cody and more than 20 others, for a photo.

— lindsay ellis, Houston Chronicle, "The pig was a clear champion. But how long will it take for him to pee?," 12 Mar. 2018
If enough lawmakers agree on a fix, a bill would be hustled through Congress.

— edward mckinley, kansascity, "KC union retirees join rally in Ohio for pension fix — or is it a bailout?," 13 July 2018
Hough said the bear ultimately hustled away down the street.

— CBS News, "Bear takes dip in California hot tub, drinks margarita," 3 July 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.