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

Two decades later, the woman born Robyn Fenty has added a lot of hyphens to her job title beyond pop star, venturing into acting (Battleship, Smurfs), business (Fenty Beauty, Savage x Fenty) and motherhood (RZA and Riot Rose with A$AP Rocky), just to name a few side hustles. —Katie Atkinson, Billboard, 29 Aug. 2025

An intuitive download could also spark an idea for a side hustle that is equally meaningful and profitable. —Valerie Mesa, People.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Time Management Time management can often be a challenge for those with a side hustle, with many people quitting because of time constraints. —Rytis Lauris, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025

Australian playwright Tony McNamara has turned his side hustle as a screenwriter into a blessing for Yorgos Lanthimos (Poor Things, The Favourite), and viewers of The Great, his bawdy historical farce for Hulu, can attest to his love of layered, lacerating insults. —David Fear, Rolling Stone, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for side hustle

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