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
  • The tiny birds, named for the rapid beat of their wings, arrive in the Midwest each spring before making their way south again as the weather begins to cool.
    Maia Pandey, jsonline.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • To the consternation of some local residents and environmentalists, the rapid growth of Starbase has wiped out the small and eclectic community that existed here.
    Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2025
Adverb
  • Musiala can be highly effective against low blocks, making his absence extremely unhelpful, regardless of Bayern’s many advantages.
    Sebastian Stafford-Bloor, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2025
  • Nevertheless, a five-time winner losing the season-long race to an opponent who hasn't won a single event is something extremely improbable to see on any other major golf tour.
    Julio Cesar Valdera Morales, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Aug. 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
  • Brown suggested allowing for photos and videos to be shared, and adding video-chatting capabilities.
    James Watson, Hartford Courant, 12 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Analysts expect brisk growth in the next two years.
    John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
  • The new nine-speed transmission offers brisk, usually seamless shifts; though at times the acceleration can feel a bit segmented.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 17 Aug. 2025
Adverb
  • Indeed, the argument is often made by industry that plastics can sequester carbon from fossil fuels for the very long term, unless they are burned.
    Saleem H. Ali, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Her Ancestry matches had uncovered that her biological father was very likely an African American man.
    Jennifer Wilson, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Create Polls and Ask Questions Polls get people talking, and LinkedIn’s algorithm rewards it.
    William Arruda, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2025
  • The dream part of it, for him, was the chance to spend 100 minutes talking not very much about his passion project itself, but rather using it as a springboard for an infinitely widespread discussion about about political, economic and social ideals.
    Chris Willman, Variety, 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

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Cite this Entry

“Rattling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rattling. Accessed 25 Aug. 2025.

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