as in driving
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1
as in laboring
to devote serious and sustained effort
everyone really hustled to get the project finished on schedule
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2
as in hurrying
to proceed or move quickly
we'd better hustle, or we'll miss the train
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3
as in squeezing
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
a swindler who hustled cashiers by getting them all confused while they were making change
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Recent Examples of hustling
Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
The Lakers star then passed to a hustling Austin Reaves, who took a few dribbles to get a Kings defender to commit before making an alley-oop pass to James for a two-handed, rim-hanging dunk.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Like most of us, my mom always was hustling.
—Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Reisman frequented the parlor, which, in its heyday, served as a social hub for table tennis and high-stakes hustling.
—India Roby, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
Dutkanych triggered the action along with hustling junior guard Annalyse McCarty and junior forward Nora Schwartz chipping in.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The ’90s were a time of creative expansion for her, but financial hustling.
—Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
The vignettes of heartbreak and hustling come with absurdist wit and an outstanding selection of beats.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
Side hustling for job security comes at a personal cost.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2026
How does Mick Cronin survive this, sending his own player off the court after hustling hard on defense to get a piece of the ball but unfortunately too much contact and drew a foul.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
If out of work, hustling this week and next could open doors.
—Kyle Thomas, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
Students were hustling around campus, coming and going on the penultimate Saturday of the semester.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
The bubbling party scene in New York City was indeed a movie, and Puffy was hustling his way into the leading role.
—Essence, 11 Dec. 2025
Give them a moment to process the situation before hustling them out of there.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 28 Nov. 2025
On Canal Street on Thursday morning, lost tourists tripped over commuters hustling out of the subway, the grates on the souvenir stores went up, but most of the street vendors were still missing.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2025
The on-field swings were such a rarity that he was cheered on by Roberts, the Dodgers’ coaching staff and a handful of teammates and his walkup song (Michael Buble’s ‘Feeling Good’) blasted from the sound system briefly, sending photographers and cameramen hustling into action.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Adjective
For years, Rachel and Irvi had been hustling to make this routine work, hoping that American immigration policy would evolve and allow Irvi, who had spent half his life in the United States, to become a citizen.
—Caitlin Dickerson, The Atlantic, 3 Mar. 2026
The Lakers star then passed to a hustling Austin Reaves, who took a few dribbles to get a Kings defender to commit before making an alley-oop pass to James for a two-handed, rim-hanging dunk.
—Broderick Turner, Los Angeles Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Like most of us, my mom always was hustling.
—Deasia Paige, AJC.com, 1 Mar. 2026
Reisman frequented the parlor, which, in its heyday, served as a social hub for table tennis and high-stakes hustling.
—India Roby, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
Dutkanych triggered the action along with hustling junior guard Annalyse McCarty and junior forward Nora Schwartz chipping in.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
The ’90s were a time of creative expansion for her, but financial hustling.
—Sarah Hepola, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
The vignettes of heartbreak and hustling come with absurdist wit and an outstanding selection of beats.
—Dash Lewis, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
Side hustling for job security comes at a personal cost.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Verb
Those were full-time pharmacists, realtors and teachers hustling across Olympic ice for Team USA.
—Lisa Gutierrez, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2026
How does Mick Cronin survive this, sending his own player off the court after hustling hard on defense to get a piece of the ball but unfortunately too much contact and drew a foul.
—Los Angeles Times, 21 Feb. 2026
If out of work, hustling this week and next could open doors.
—Kyle Thomas, PEOPLE, 11 Jan. 2026
Students were hustling around campus, coming and going on the penultimate Saturday of the semester.
—Alaa Elassar, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
The bubbling party scene in New York City was indeed a movie, and Puffy was hustling his way into the leading role.
—Essence, 11 Dec. 2025
Give them a moment to process the situation before hustling them out of there.
—Sara Rowe Mount, Parents, 28 Nov. 2025
On Canal Street on Thursday morning, lost tourists tripped over commuters hustling out of the subway, the grates on the souvenir stores went up, but most of the street vendors were still missing.
—Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 23 Oct. 2025
The on-field swings were such a rarity that he was cheered on by Roberts, the Dodgers’ coaching staff and a handful of teammates and his walkup song (Michael Buble’s ‘Feeling Good’) blasted from the sound system briefly, sending photographers and cameramen hustling into action.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 16 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hustling
Adjective
-
But the small lineup has helped with spacing, creating more driving lanes for Dent while also allowing Bilodeau to beat more plodding counterparts on offense.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Bring along a non-driving guest to enjoy the hotel part of the program for $350.—
Robb Report Studio,
Robb Report,
9 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The son of a medical-gas plumber who worked night shifts, Darnold just kept laboring at his craft.—
Sally Jenkins,
The Atlantic,
9 Feb. 2026
-
In the summer of 2024, UNICEF’s representative in Congo suggested that 361,000 children might be laboring in mines in southern Congo, though this number seems implausibly high and drew quick opprobrium from Congolese NGOs that work on the issue.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of hurrying to break up tents and scatter RVs, Lee and Oakland’s interim homelessness chief Sasha Hauswald want city workers to focus on minimizing trash and human waste around encampments.—
Grant Stringer,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Meza Gonzalez and David Christian, one of her attorneys, refused to answer questions from reporters about the plea agreement, hurrying down a flight of stairs at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.—
Megan Rodriguez,
San Antonio Express-News,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Other business leaders have trialed, but then dialed back, four-day work week experiments after seeing the strain of squeezing five days of work into four.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
3 Mar. 2026
-
The business has been brutal for the last couple of years — the pandemic, the strikes, the profit squeezing that led to a bunch of reduced production.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Thanks to the diligent work of our prosecutors and law enforcement partners, justice has been served, and this dangerous individual will now face severe consequences for his actions.—
Tim Fang,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Nursing requires diligent, precise work, so risking her eyesight to harmful UV exposure is a non-option.—
Amelia McBride,
Travel + Leisure,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
No workers for mundane tasks Diez revealed that manufacturers worldwide are struggling to find laborers for highly repetitive physical tasks.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Dogs generally aren’t allowed on cruises, but after struggling to find a flight that would allow pets in the cabin, Morris decided to bring Monty across the pond in the storied ocean liner’s kennels – one of the only ways cruise travelers' furry friends can sail the high seas.—
Nathan Diller,
USA Today,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Within newsrooms themselves, media companies are rushing to adopt tools many of their employees are wary of using.—
Max Tani,
semafor.com,
4 Mar. 2026
-
Love commanded attention — and the football — in 2025, rushing for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries and also catching 27 passes for 280 yards and three scores.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Billionaire Ronald Burkle is suing political power-broker Darius Anderson, accusing his former protégé and friend of cheating him out of millions of dollars.—
Clara Harter,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Mar. 2026
-
An Arsenal throw-in on their right-hand side, in the 14th minute, prompts chants of ‘Same old Arsenal, always cheating’ as the clock ticks away.—
Stuart James,
New York Times,
6 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hustling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hustling. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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