rustler
noun
rus·tler
ˈrə-s(ə-)lər 
plural rustlers
: a person who steals livestock from a farm or ranch
By the time Bijah had reached the age of twenty-three he was a known cattle rustler, and an outlaw with three killings behind him.—
Louis L'Amour
Louis L'AmourA gang of professional sheep rustlers has been stalking our county—and all the local farmers are worried that we're going to be hit next.—James Delingpole
James DelingpoleExamples of rustler in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Siringo was appointed a New Mexico Ranger in 1916 and for two years saw active service against cattle rustlers.
—Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Now comes Bryan Burrough’s new book, The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild, to end the scrubbing of Hardin’s life of crime, along with those of many other murdering cattle rustlers, cheating saloon gamblers, and quick-draw vigilantes.
—Clifford Krauss, Air Mail, 7 June 2025
Gone were the twisted souls of the Deep South, replaced with stoic ranch hands, rustlers and gunslingers whose lives and fates played out in the harsh midday sun.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2023
The friendship between the lawman (played by Barry Sullivan) and the gun-toting rustler was fictionalized and greatly exaggerated over the show’s 75 episodes; many historians believe that Garrett actually shot and killed Billy in 1881.
—BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022
The friendship between the lawman (played by Barry Sullivan) and the gun-toting rustler was fictionalized and greatly exaggerated over the show’s 75 episodes; many historians believe that Sheriff Garrett actually shot and killed Billy in 1881.
—New York Times, 7 Aug. 2022
The rustler is usually a beekeeper or someone familiar with the transportation of bees.
—Fox News, 22 Feb. 2022
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Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
Now comes Bryan Burrough’s new book, The Gunfighters: How Texas Made the West Wild, to end the scrubbing of Hardin’s life of crime, along with those of many other murdering cattle rustlers, cheating saloon gamblers, and quick-draw vigilantes.
—Clifford Krauss, Air Mail, 7 June 2025
Gone were the twisted souls of the Deep South, replaced with stoic ranch hands, rustlers and gunslingers whose lives and fates played out in the harsh midday sun.
—Steve Marble, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2023
The friendship between the lawman (played by Barry Sullivan) and the gun-toting rustler was fictionalized and greatly exaggerated over the show’s 75 episodes; many historians believe that Garrett actually shot and killed Billy in 1881.
—BostonGlobe.com, 7 Aug. 2022
The friendship between the lawman (played by Barry Sullivan) and the gun-toting rustler was fictionalized and greatly exaggerated over the show’s 75 episodes; many historians believe that Sheriff Garrett actually shot and killed Billy in 1881.
—New York Times, 7 Aug. 2022
The rustler is usually a beekeeper or someone familiar with the transportation of bees.
—Fox News, 22 Feb. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Rustler.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rustler. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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