Synonyms of bustle

bustle 1 of 2

noun

as in commotion

a state of noisy, confused activity

I couldn't concentrate in all the bustle of the student lounge

Synonyms & Similar Words

• commotion
• disturbance
• hurry
• stir
• fuss
• turmoil
• noise
• clatter
• hubbub
• racket
• storm
• to-do
• clutter
• fun
• tumult
• hoopla
• hurly-burly
• row
• hurricane
• zoo
• pandemonium
• hullabaloo
• coil
• ado
• roar
• ruckus
• bother
• ruction
• furore
• ballyhoo
• rumpus
• squall
• uproar
• pother
• blather
• furor
• flurry
• bluster
• whirl
• welter
• hurry-scurry
• kerfuffle
• stew
• hurly
• shindy
• helter-skelter
• foofaraw
• hoo-ha
• moil
• upheaval
• din
• splore
• hubble-bubble
• cacophony
• bobbery
• alarums and excursions
• clamor
• unrest
• outcry
• disorder
• do
• eruption
• williwaw
• howl
• hue and cry
• outbreak
• flutter
• fray
• outburst
• brawl
• scuffle
• melee
• fever
• fracas
• hassle
• tizzy
• fret
• flare-up
• dither
• lather

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• rest
• peace
• stillness
• tranquility
• quiet
• calm
• hush
• quietude
• order
• orderliness

bustle

2 of 2

verb

ˈbə-səl 

1

as in to burst

to be copiously supplied

on Saturdays the city's downtown bustles with activity as a farmers' market sets up shop

Synonyms & Similar Words

• burst
• buzz
• hum
• bulge
• brim
• swarm
• abound
• teem
• overflow
• crawl
• bristle
• pullulate

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• need
• want
• lack

2

as in to rush

to proceed or move quickly

the hostess bustled about, taking care of last-minute preparations for the party

Synonyms & Similar Words

• rush
• hurry
• race
• speed
• scurry
• travel
• drive
• fly
• zip
• trot
• buzz
• chase
• hustle
• jump
• scoot
• run
• dart
• blow
• dash
• tear
• step
• breeze
• scuttle
• blast
• rustle
• motor
• whirl
• bowl
• zoom
• career
• bolt
• rip
• crack (on)
• jog
• hare
• belt
• jet
• course
• shoot
• ram
• whisk
• blaze
• barrel
• rocket
• hump
• bundle
• hasten
• hurtle
• highball
• hie
• hurl
• beat it
• nip
• get a move on
• pelt
• gallop
• make tracks
• careen
• bomb
• shake a leg
• step on it
• hotfoot (it)
• cannonball
• flit
• scamper
• stampede
• streak
• sprint
• beetle
• accelerate
• scuffle
• overtake
• step out
• whiz
• quicken
• outrun
• catch up
• outpace
• scud
• outstrip
• arrow
• fast-forward
• beeline

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• creep
• drag
• hang (around or out)
• crawl
• lag
• linger
• poke
• dawdle
• stroll
• loiter
• tarry
• shuffle
• poke
• amble
• slow (down or up)
• saunter
• lumber
• plod
• decelerate
• dillydally
• dally

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of bustle

Noun

Amid the hustle and bustle of Shanghai, Samuel Gui Yang has created a quiet alcove as the Chinese brand’s first retail outpost. — Denni Hu, Footwear News, 14 Oct. 2026

Amid the hustle and bustle of Frieze London, where champagne bottles pop and deals are orchestrated, Brazilian abstract artist Marina Perez Simão wants to invite guests to contemplate inside a spaceship in Pace Gallery’s booth. — Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Verb

The cutting-edge building details the city’s evolution from a humble fishing village to a bustling metropolis with over 18 million residents. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Oct. 2026

Vying for dominance as well are the haughty, self-serving bureaucrats of the area’s bustling capital of South Wood (Jemaine Clement, Marc Evan Jackson), who pull their political strings from the relative safety of the grand Pittock Mansion. — Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026