rattling 1 of 3

rattling

2 of 3

adverb

rattling

3 of 3

verb

present participle of rattle
1
as in clattering
to make a series of short sharp noises the children tromped through the kitchen, making the plates on the shelf rattle

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
4

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 rattling
Adjective
Here a number of the emigrants who arrived late were stowed away on a rattling floor of cane, covered with hides. Gary Kamiya, SFChronicle.com, 2 Oct. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rattling
Adjective
  • Sustain small farms amid global competition • Promote transparency and ethics in coffee sourcing In a world increasingly dominated by industrial scale and rapid production, Kona coffee companies should work to remain a symbol of craftsmanship, care and community.
    Jean Orlowski, Forbes.com, 28 July 2025
  • Trained in marksmanship, rapid deployment, ambushes, surveillance, and psychological operations, Los Zetas used overt military force to consolidate control over most of the Texas border and the Gulf Coast port of Veracruz.
    Seth Harp, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2025
Adverb
  • It’s coated in a thin layer of real gold – not just to look fancy, but because gold reflects infrared light extremely well.
    Adi Foord, Space.com, 26 July 2025
  • The destination has an extremely low crime rate, no hurricanes in recent history and a strong health care system.
    Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 25 July 2025
Verb
  • After chatting to a voice LLM chatbot like ChatGPT, going back to trying to have a conversational user experience with Alexa (or Siri, or whoever) is frustrating.
    Bernard Marr, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
  • At the time, Faustino was chatting with PEOPLE at the 30th annual Race to Erase MS gala and addressed why his former costar was not in attendance at the event.
    Raven Brunner, People.com, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Making a brisk morning walk in the sun part of your daily routine can be a grounding, enjoyable experience.
    Ashley Olivine, Verywell Health, 23 July 2025
  • When measuring the nation's collective fitness, the good news is Americans are more likely to take a brisk walk, play pickleball or lift weights.
    Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 22 July 2025
Adverb
  • And a lot of people took it very much to heart and very seriously.
    Ed Masley, AZCentral.com, 26 July 2025
  • And notably Melvin Capital, which had a very large short position against GameStop, lost billions of dollars and closed because of this trade.
    Ricardo Torres, jsonline.com, 26 July 2025
Verb
  • Create Polls and Ask Questions Polls get people talking, and LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards it.
    William Arruda, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
  • Join our Space Forums to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more!
    Leonard David, Space.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Verb
  • Spend your days absorbing its wartime history, wandering the outdoor markets, dining on seafood, rejuvenating at a spa, or hiking secluded coastal trails before lolling on the white-sand beaches.
    Peggy Orenstein, AFAR Media, 6 Jan. 2025
  • Cohen and colleagues have published several studies showing an increase in the polar vortex stretching or wandering.
    CBS News, CBS News, 4 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • As his health faded in the last year of his life, Neruda rushed to finish his story, which gives the last chapters of his book a galloping, fragmented quality.
    Tunku Varadarajan, WSJ, 25 June 2021
  • The artist was in Times Square last week to offer his latest corrective, unveiling a massive bronze statue of a young African American man in urban streetwear sitting astride a galloping horse.
    NBC News, NBC News, 7 Oct. 2019

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rattling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rattling. Accessed 4 Aug. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on rattling

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!