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

She’s first shown wearing a skimpy dog costume as she and Nate’s housekeeper, Juana (Minerva Garcia), records until Nate comes home and angrily interrupts, disapproving of Cassie’s side hustle. —Selome Hailu, Variety, 13 Apr. 2026

However, some side hustles favor early risers for a variety of practical reasons. —Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 Apr. 2026

Neither does Nina’s side hustle as a food columnist, a promising subplot that disappears faster than a bread cube drowning in a cheese fondue. —Chris Hewitt, Boston Herald, 10 Apr. 2026

In fact, it’s estimated that more than one-fourth of American adults have some kind of side hustle, whether in the form of a side job or a small business. —William Jones, Miami Herald, 7 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1946, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for side hustle

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