hustle

verb

hus·tle | \ ˈhə-səl

hustled; hustling\ ˈhə-s(ə-)liŋ

Definition of hustle

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : 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

2a : to obtain by energetic activity —usually used with up hustle up new customerstry to hustle up some tickets to tonight's gamehustling 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

3a : 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

noun

Definition of hustle (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : 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 hustle …— Marilyn Stasio

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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

This gallery is a tribute to them: the women and non-binary photographers who hustle behind the camera to bring us the news. — Kainaz Amaria, Vox, "2018, explained in pictures by women and non-binary photographers," 21 Dec. 2018 Luckily, Thomas Boleyn was able to place his daughter as a maid of honor in Mary’s household (my god, how these Boleyns hustled). — Anne Thériault, Longreads, "Queens of Infamy: Anne Boleyn," 25 May 2018 The same goes for his backup Joseph (three points, 1-for-5) who hustled back to deny James a transition dunk during Cleveland’s third-quarter surge by stripping him. — J. Michael, Indianapolis Star, "Pacers snap LeBron James' first-round success with 98-80 Game 1 victory," 15 Apr. 2018 Finally, there's Greg Allen who hustled and played his way into the hearts of the Indians brass. — Terry Pluto, cleveland.com, "Talking Cleveland Indians prospects, phenoms and surprises -- Terry Pluto (photos)," 22 Mar. 2018 Japan is hustling on defense and making clearances (8 so far to Belgium’s 3). — Tariq Panja, New York Times, "World Cup 2018: Belgium Shocks Japan With Stunning Rally," 4 July 2018 At least eight servers were hustling on a casual Sunday morning. — Marc Bona, cleveland.com, "35 Brix: Northeast Ohio's best weekend brunches, breakfasts," 14 Apr. 2018 Everyone is hustling to make that work; grips, wardrobe, everyone. — Jessica P. Ogilvie, chicagotribune.com, "How actresses who are just starting out get pressured into 'creepy' nude scenes," 12 Mar. 2018 McDormand was hustling behind the interview, drink in hand, when Spencer paused to say hello. — Stephanie Petit, PEOPLE.com, "Frances McDormand Stops By Allison Janney's Post-Oscars Interview to Give Her a Sip of Tequila," 5 Mar. 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.