Synonyms of hustles

hustles 1 of 2

noun

plural of hustle

as in scams

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value

a clever hustle that tricked people into revealing their bank account information

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scams
• frauds
• swindles
• cons
• fiddles
• schemes
• stings
• shell games
• devices
• tricks
• hoaxes
• crosses
• flimflams
• buncos
• dodges
• rackets
• fixes
• Ponzi schemes
• pyramid schemes
• counterfeits
• wiles
• stratagems
• sleights
• fakes
• jigs
• rip-offs
• phonies
• gimmicks
• ploys
• forgeries
• shams
• thimblerigs
• three-card montes
• humbug

hustles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hustle

1

as in struggles

to devote serious and sustained effort

everyone really hustled to get the project finished on schedule

Synonyms & Similar Words

• struggles
• strives
• labors
• works
• tries
• endeavors
• toils
• tugs
• slaves
• plows
• sweats
• slogs
• humps
• plods
• drudges
• plugs
• travails
• digs (away)
• pegs (away)
• fags
• strains
• grubs
• bangs away
• sweats blood
• moils
• beavers (away)
• drives
• attacks
• buckles (down)
• hammers (away)
• overworks
• applies (oneself)
• exerts
• wades
• scratches
• knuckles down
• trudges
• pitches in
• exercises
• essays
• digs in
• grinds (out)
• scrabbles
• ekes out
• overexerts
• puts out

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breaks
• slackens
• eases (up)
• shirks
• lazes
• dallies
• rests
• bums
• lets up
• slacks (off)
• loafs
• idles
• hangs (around or out)
• chills
• relaxes
• lounges
• unwinds
• plays
• goldbricks
• goofs (off)
• hacks (around)
• basks
• lolls
• dillydallies
• reposes
• hangs
• dabbles
• footles
• fools around
• trifles
• fribbles
• goofs (around)
• messes around
• putters (around)
• monkeys (around)
• potters (around)
• vegges out
• doodles
• hangs about

2

as in hurries

to proceed or move quickly

we'd better hustle, or we'll miss the train

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hurries
• scurries
• rushes
• speeds
• travels
• races
• trots
• drives
• flies
• chases
• zips
• jumps
• buzzes
• runs
• scoots
• blows
• scuttles
• steps
• bustles
• rips
• dashes
• darts
• zooms
• jogs
• blasts
• tears
• whirls
• shoots
• rustles
• bowls
• hurtles
• hurls
• rams
• motors
• careers
• whisks
• hastens
• barrels
• careens
• breezes
• bolts
• hies
• humps
• courses
• blazes
• jets
• cracks (on)
• bundles
• belts
• gallops
• nips
• steps on it
• beats it
• hares
• pelts
• rockets
• scampers
• bombs
• makes tracks
• flits
• highballs
• hotfoots (it)
• sprints
• cannonballs
• whizzes
• gets a move on
• accelerates
• shakes a leg
• stampedes
• scuffles
• beetles
• streaks
• outruns
• overtakes
• scuds
• quickens
• outpaces
• outstrips
• steps out
• beelines
• arrows
• catches up
• fast-forwards

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• pokes
• crawls
• creeps
• drags
• lags
• lingers
• pokes
• hangs (around or out)
• loiters
• strolls
• dawdles
• shuffles
• saunters
• ambles
• dallies
• tarries
• plods
• lumbers
• slows (down or up)
• decelerates
• dillydallies

3

as in squeezes

to rob by the use of trickery or threats

a swindler who hustled cashiers by getting them all confused while they were making change

Synonyms & Similar Words

• squeezes
• plucks
• cheats
• stings
• beats
• sticks
• does
• swindles
• tricks
• bleeds
• defrauds
• deceives
• victimizes
• screws
• fiddles
• diddles
• shortchanges
• bilks
• suckers
• stiffs
• cons
• exploits
• reams
• mulcts
• shorts
• rips off
• shakes down
• gaffs
• rooks
• extorts
• cozens
• fools
• chisels
• fleeces
• betrays
• skins
• chouses
• does in
• flimflams
• skunks
• euchres
• takes to the cleaners
• nobbles
• wrenches
• hoses
• thimblerigs
• takes for a ride
• clips
• soaks
• wrings
• nicks
• wrests
• sells a bill of goods to
• overcharges
• gouges
• milks
• dupes
• bamboozles
• gulls
• bitches
• double-crosses
• ropes (in)
• fast-talks

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of hustles

Noun

The area of law has always been ripe for fraud, but the hustles have evolved, getting more sophisticated in the past year. — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

Khy may be one of Jenner's many hustles, but motherhood is her greatest joy. — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026

Many of these statements seem more like ‘hustles’ or ‘pitches’ than attempts to speak thoughtfully about the future. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026

Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026

Cuban may be worth billions today, but his career started with small-time hustles. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026

Side hustles also encourage better time management and focus. — Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026

The holiday season brings out dozens of holiday-specific hustles, from wrapping packages and running errands to hanging lights or serving appetizers and drinks at Christmas and Hanukkah parties. — Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025

Vera Bradley Featherweight Belt Bag Lightweight and versatile enough to go with your travel capsule wardrobe, the Vera Bradley belt bag keeps your must-haves close without weighing you down—perfect for airport hustles, sightseeing days, or errand runs between trips. — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2025

Verb

Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles. — Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026

Despite concerns that chip stocks could be topping out as the industry hustles to boost supply, Wall Street thinks Micron still has plenty of room to run. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 June 2026

In games like Tuesday, when that deep postseason run seems realistic, UCLA pops the ball around on offense and communicates and hustles to overcome its deficiencies on defense. — Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026

Compared to the behemoth Acela, which hustles hundreds of thousands of riders between Boston, New York City, and Washington DC each month, Amtrak's Mardi Gras line is downright petite—just two 58-seat coaches, plus a café car and a 14-seat Business Class car. — Kara Newman, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026

Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026

The pair goes out and hustles other players with a cunning ruse that relies on the era’s racial and ethnic divisions. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025

The film keeps pace through toe-curlingly tense table tennis face-offs, high-stakes hustles, and a jaw-dropping scene involving a bathtub that honestly puts Saltburn to shame. — Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025

Families looking for the perfect holiday card shot drive photography hustles in November. — Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025