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

There was no music and no hustle and bustle in Inwood on Sunday; just the sound of barricades being laid out in the normally boisterous neighborhood. — Kristie Keleshian, CBS News, 16 Aug. 2026

Why now is the best time to visit Many Los Angeles travelers found in Palisades − a picturesque neighborhood between Malibu and Santa Monica − a respite from the hustle and bustle of the city. — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 16 Aug. 2026

Verb

In Minneapolis and New Orleans, CNN found once-bustling shops and restaurants growing quiet during federal immigration operations as some immigrants avoided work and parents kept children home from school. — Maria Santana, CNN Money, 15 Aug. 2026

The Exchange District is also a bustling cultural hub and is packed with independent boutiques like Two Macaws and cafes like Parlour Coffee. — Maryam Siddiqi, Travel + Leisure, 14 Aug. 2026