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

Almost two years later, what started as a side hustle no longer requires funding via her day job as a healthcare business consultant. —Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 10 Nov. 2025

While some are looking in the couch cushions for change or picking up a side hustle, others are hoping for a stimulus check from the federal government. —Shelby Slade, AZCentral.com, 8 Nov. 2025

Caroline's Cakes Spartanburg, South Carolina Caroline's Cakes started as a side hustle for Caroline Ragsdale Reutter, who produced the layer cakes from her home in Annapolis, Maryland. —Alana Al-Hatlani, Southern Living, 8 Nov. 2025

The shift goes beyond just side hustles. —Kimberly Wilson, Essence, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for side hustle

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