side hustle

noun

variants or less commonly side-hustle

ˈsīd-ˌhə-səl 

plural side hustles also side-hustles

: work performed for income supplementary to one's primary job

These days, lots of people have a side hustle to help them earn extra income, develop new skills, become a business owner and quit their day job.

—Kitsap Sun

The best part of using a blog as a side hustle is the work you put in now will continue to pay off well into the future.

—Emory Wheel (Emory University)

Want to learn a new skill you've had your eyes on for quite some time? Or perhaps you want to take up a new hobby that you can eventually turn into a side hustle?

—Jan Cortes

We all know that millennials love a good side hustle—to fuel both their passions and their wallets.

—Alissa Carpenter

Examples of side hustle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

About 43% of Gen Z adults ages 18 to 29 report having a side hustle, according to a 2026 LendingTree survey. — Tatiana Sataua, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2026

Summary Transitioning a side hustle to a main career requires more than just financial benchmarks. — Cheryl Robinson, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026

One of his offers to Luepke involves some luxuries from his side hustle. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 Aug. 2026

Things take a second twist when Bret’s classmate Ryan (Daniel Dale) is revealed to have a side hustle as an adult film actor. — Entertainment Weekly, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for side hustle

• mofussil
• bustle
• muscle
• mussel
• russel
• rustle
• trussell
• tussle