bustles 1 of 2

noun

plural of bustle
as in disturbances
a state of noisy, confused activity I couldn't concentrate in all the bustle of the student lounge

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bustles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bustle
1
as in bursts
to be copiously supplied on Saturdays the city's downtown bustles with activity as a farmers' market sets up shop

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in scurries
to proceed or move quickly the hostess bustled about, taking care of last-minute preparations for the party

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bustles
Noun
The clubby street-side Street Bar bustles with locals and visitors from dawn to dusk, while its rooftop restaurant, Contessa, is among the sceneiest spots in town. — Andrew Sessa, Robb Report, 2 July 2026 Set the scene Frenetic Sandton bustles with traffic, office and residential towers, and commercial enterprises. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 2 June 2026 Yes, this popular New England weekend getaway spot bustles with tourists in the summer months—for good reason. — Kara Williams, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026 The downtown bustles with businesses both old and new. — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026 Temporary and permanent business closures across Minneapolis Ordinarily on weekends, Midtown Global Market bustles with live music, laughing children and a diverse array of businesses, says González. — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 28 Jan. 2026 Often an aunt bustles in and replaces a dead mother. — Literary Hub, 14 Jan. 2026 Vercors Regional Natural Park is on the village’s doorstep and the whole place bustles with performers, music, shows and stalls for the medieval festival held each year in the first week of August. — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 15 Nov. 2025 Inside, the studio bustles with activity. — Patrik Jonsson, Christian Science Monitor, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bustles
  1. disturbances
  2. bursts
  3. scurries
  4. stirs
  5. buzzes
  6. rushes
  7. commotions
  8. hums
Noun
  • Cherry residents say developers and city leaders must do a better job protecting neighborhoods from preventable disturbances during big projects.
    — Charlotte Observer, Charlotte Observer, 23 July 2026
  • The technology can detect disturbances and respond to power-flow problems in real time, potentially preventing them from affecting manufacturing operations or spreading into the surrounding grid.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 23 July 2026
Definition of disturbances
Verb
  • Things quickly take a terrifying turn during surgery when a scorpion tail suddenly bursts through Perry’s back, attacking one of the surgeons mid-operation.
    — Lily Brown, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026
  • Haaland bursts our bubble almost immediately by scoring in the opening five minutes, and Burnley miss a few good first-half chances, with striker Zian Flemming particularly culpable.
    — Nnamdi Onyeagwara, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2026
Definition of bursts
Verb
  • Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Alicent scurries the great halls, desperate to shore up support for her plan to hand Rhaenyra the Red Keep.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026
  • That goes for much here, from the light that scurries away from Benjamín Echazarreta’s muted camera, to the moments of sweetness that punctuate Mariá Portugal’s largely ominous score.
    — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 May 2026
Definition of scurries
Noun
  • Refrigerated pie crust helps this pie come together with just a few stirs of the whisk.
    — Patricia S York, Southern Living, 19 Apr. 2026
Definition of stirs
Verb
  • Your social world buzzes with activity as Mercury and Venus harmonize in the skies.
    — USA TODAY, USA Today, 24 July 2026
  • Overlapping time zones, a phone that buzzes through dinner, investors who expect answers before the market opens tomorrow, and social-media pressure all threaten reputations.
    — Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of buzzes
Verb
  • Authorities blame successive, record-breaking heat waves and climate change for supercharging the blazes, as Europe rushes water-dumping aircraft, masks and thousands of firefighters to contain rapidly shifting fire fronts.
    — Mark Carlson, Los Angeles Times, 25 July 2026
  • Google rushes to make changes Risking even higher fines for delaying updates, Google does not appear to be depending on Trump quickly stepping in to block the fines.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 23 July 2026
Definition of rushes
Noun
  • Over the past year, men’s ski jumping has been marred by Norway’s cheating scandal and more recent genital manipulation rumors, which has become one of the early commotions of the Milano-Cortina Games.
    — Sara Germano, Sportico.com, 8 Feb. 2026
Definition of commotions
Verb
  • Best Time to Visit The best time to visit Delray Beach is from late April through early June, when the city still hums with energy but sheds the intensity of peak season.
    — Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 11 July 2026
  • This deck area positively hums with IG brunch-scene potential.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 June 2026
Definition of hums

Browse Nearby Words

bustled
bustles
bustling
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bustles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bustles. Accessed 31 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bustles

Nglish: Translation of bustles for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of comely

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul. 31

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
asap street sign
Figure Out These Acronyms ASAP You don't have to be a NASA engineer to get these...
See All