rattled; rattling
ˈrat-liŋ 
ˈra-tᵊl-iŋ
1
: to make a rapid succession of short sharp noises
the windows rattled in the wind
2
: to chatter incessantly and aimlessly
3
: to move with a clatter or rattle
also
: to be or move about in a place or station too large or grand
rattled around the big old house
1
a
: a device that produces a rattle
specifically
: a case containing pellets used as a baby's toy
b
: the sound-producing organ on a rattlesnake's tail
3
Synonyms
Examples of rattle in a Sentence
Noun
I'd go nuts if I had to endure the rattle of that bottling plant every day.
Recent Examples on the Web
Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Whenever an express train roared by, the windows would rattle.
—Haruki Murakami, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023
Confidence was further rattled when Zelensky abruptly fired his defense minister last week.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
With only 2 miles to my next water source, I was rattled by a rattlesnake in the middle of a field of tall desert grasses.
—Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 30 Aug. 2023
The sonic boom generates shock waves for miles away, rattling windows, tripping car alarms, and wreaking environmental havoc.
—Jaclyn Trop, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2023
The protests have rattled the Assad government, but don’t seem to pose an existential threat.
—Kareem Chehayeb, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2023
For example, there are removable rubber liners at the bottom of the map pockets to keep stuff from rattling and also to allow for cleaning.
—Tony Swan, Car and Driver, 28 Aug. 2023
The report found that the live rounds could be distinguished from those types of dummies, either by rattling them or by noticing the lack of a hole.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 Aug. 2023
Patricia Harris and David Lyon, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023
The eerie stillness of the place was punctuated by the rattle of heavy machinery and the cries of gulls down by the water, where an immense metal containment tank has been mangled like a dog’s chew toy.
—Tim Hornyak, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2023
Who among us isn’t dreaming of fall, chilly morning and brisk evenings, the constant rattle of the air conditioner a distant memory?
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 22 Aug. 2023
Aztec dancers wearing colorful feather headdresses and wooden ankle rattles led the parade, dancing to the beat of a drum.
—Elena Kadvany, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Apr. 2023
Evolution of Tradition It is widely believed that clamorous send-offs, like the timeless rattle of tin cans on the back of newlyweds’ getaway vehicles, stem from the French tradition of charivari (a French word for uproar).
—Alix Strauss, New York Times, 12 July 2023
Two teams of three players each attempt to roll a basketball-size ball with rattles inside over the opponent’s goal line.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2023
The smallest member of the legendary tackle-makers N series, its medium-tight action and rattles are a one-two punch that crappie can’t dodge.
—Pete M. Anderson, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023
On a recent afternoon, dozens of people stood at the lake’s edge holding baskets, rattles and freshly sprouted branches of riparian plants.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023
John Bacon, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023
The ashes of Olivier were interred in the abbey in 1991; at the memorial service, a recording of the famous speech was played, filling the church with the actor’s glorious bellicosity and echoing over the tomb of King Henry, whose valor inspired the words that now rattled his bones.
—Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
The Aztecs rallied from at least eight down to win their previous three games, and rattled the Huskies with a 9-0 run, pulling within 56-50 as NRG Stadium went from snoozy to a potential doozy.
—John Marshall, ajc, 4 Apr. 2023
Trump’s New York team has been led by Susan Necheles, who has long-standing ties to the Trump Organization, and Joe Tacopina, who has conducted rounds of combative television interviews that have rattled some of Trump’s other lawyers.
—Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2023
All three were good looks that rattled in and out.
—Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2023
Even if a spiraling crisis of confidence in the US banking system rattled investors, the moves in the Cboe Volatility Index didn’t necessarily show that.
—Jess Menton, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2023
Frese and her players hoped to rattle the Crusaders with their defensive aggression.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2023
Kristin Smart's family hopes guilty verdict in her 1996 murder brings them some closure Smart’s disappearance rattled the town of San Luis Obispo, with little progress being made in the case for more than two decades.
—Travis Caldwell, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023
See More
Verb
Shipyards up and down the Yangtze River, with thousands of workers, clang and rattle from dawn until far into the night.
—Keith Bradsher, New York Times, 7 Sep. 2023
Whenever an express train roared by, the windows would rattle.
—Haruki Murakami, The New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2023
Confidence was further rattled when Zelensky abruptly fired his defense minister last week.
—Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
With only 2 miles to my next water source, I was rattled by a rattlesnake in the middle of a field of tall desert grasses.
—Ashley Thess, Outdoor Life, 30 Aug. 2023
The sonic boom generates shock waves for miles away, rattling windows, tripping car alarms, and wreaking environmental havoc.
—Jaclyn Trop, Robb Report, 30 Aug. 2023
The protests have rattled the Assad government, but don’t seem to pose an existential threat.
—Kareem Chehayeb, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2023
For example, there are removable rubber liners at the bottom of the map pockets to keep stuff from rattling and also to allow for cleaning.
—Tony Swan, Car and Driver, 28 Aug. 2023
The report found that the live rounds could be distinguished from those types of dummies, either by rattling them or by noticing the lack of a hole.
—Gene Maddaus, Variety, 15 Aug. 2023
Noun
The clacking rattle of steel wheels on steel rails creates a lulling percussive soundtrack.
—Patricia Harris and David Lyon, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Sep. 2023
The eerie stillness of the place was punctuated by the rattle of heavy machinery and the cries of gulls down by the water, where an immense metal containment tank has been mangled like a dog’s chew toy.
—Tim Hornyak, The Atlantic, 6 Sep. 2023
Who among us isn’t dreaming of fall, chilly morning and brisk evenings, the constant rattle of the air conditioner a distant memory?
—Sarah Bahari, Dallas News, 22 Aug. 2023
Aztec dancers wearing colorful feather headdresses and wooden ankle rattles led the parade, dancing to the beat of a drum.
—Elena Kadvany, San Francisco Chronicle, 29 Apr. 2023
Evolution of Tradition It is widely believed that clamorous send-offs, like the timeless rattle of tin cans on the back of newlyweds’ getaway vehicles, stem from the French tradition of charivari (a French word for uproar).
—Alix Strauss, New York Times, 12 July 2023
Two teams of three players each attempt to roll a basketball-size ball with rattles inside over the opponent’s goal line.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2023
The smallest member of the legendary tackle-makers N series, its medium-tight action and rattles are a one-two punch that crappie can’t dodge.
—Pete M. Anderson, Field & Stream, 20 Mar. 2023
On a recent afternoon, dozens of people stood at the lake’s edge holding baskets, rattles and freshly sprouted branches of riparian plants.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2023
Verb
Storms move farther east The severe weather that rattled more than a dozen states on Tuesday was expected to move east on Wednesday.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023
The ashes of Olivier were interred in the abbey in 1991; at the memorial service, a recording of the famous speech was played, filling the church with the actor’s glorious bellicosity and echoing over the tomb of King Henry, whose valor inspired the words that now rattled his bones.
—Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
The Aztecs rallied from at least eight down to win their previous three games, and rattled the Huskies with a 9-0 run, pulling within 56-50 as NRG Stadium went from snoozy to a potential doozy.
—John Marshall, ajc, 4 Apr. 2023
Trump’s New York team has been led by Susan Necheles, who has long-standing ties to the Trump Organization, and Joe Tacopina, who has conducted rounds of combative television interviews that have rattled some of Trump’s other lawyers.
—Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2023
All three were good looks that rattled in and out.
—Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2023
Even if a spiraling crisis of confidence in the US banking system rattled investors, the moves in the Cboe Volatility Index didn’t necessarily show that.
—Jess Menton, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2023
Frese and her players hoped to rattle the Crusaders with their defensive aggression.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2023
Kristin Smart's family hopes guilty verdict in her 1996 murder brings them some closure Smart’s disappearance rattled the town of San Luis Obispo, with little progress being made in the case for more than two decades.
—Travis Caldwell, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rattle.' 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 (1)
Middle English ratelen; akin to Middle Dutch ratel rattle
Verb (2)
irregular from ratline
First Known Use
Verb (1)
14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1
Noun
1519, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb (2)
1729, in the meaning defined above
Time Traveler
The first known use of rattle was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing rattle
Dictionary Entries Near rattle
Cite this Entry
“Rattle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rattle. Accessed 23 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
rattle
1 of 2 verb
rat·tle
ˈrat-ᵊl
rattled; rattling
ˈrat-liŋ
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to make or cause to make a rattle
windows rattling in the wind
2
: chatter sense 2
rattled on and on about the party
3
: to move with a rattle
the old truck rattled down the street
4
: to say or do in a brisk lively way
rattled off the answers
5
: to disturb the calmness of : upset
the question rattled the speaker
rattle
2 of 2 noun1
: a series of short sharp sounds : clatter
2
: a device (as a toy) for making a rattling sound
3
: a rattling organ at the end of a rattlesnake's tail made up of horny joints
Medical Definition
rattle
noun
rat·tle
ˈrat-ᵊl
1
: the sound-producing organ on a rattlesnake's tail
2
: a throat noise caused by air passing through mucus
specifically
: death rattle compare rale, rhonchus
More from Merriam-Webster on rattle
Nglish: Translation of rattle for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of rattle for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about rattle
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