rustled

verb

past tense of rustle
1
as in grazed
to feed on grass or herbs just take the steer out to pasture and let it rustle for itself

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in scurried
to proceed or move quickly rustled around enthusiastically on the morning of the big trip

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in crackled
to make small sounds usually by rubbing or moving my pet peeve is candy wrappers rustling during a movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 rustled Some of them, like the one I got stranded on, were full of green rolling hills, tall grasses that rustled in the wind, and wild goats and deer roaming free. — Annie Daly, Vogue, 11 Aug. 2026 As the ocean breeze kicked up, the palms rustled around us. — Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026 The tremors from Old Trafford also rustled the papers on the desk of Napoli’s sporting director Giovanni Manna. — James Horncastle, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026 The wind rustled gently through the leaves, and the only other sound was the soft buzz of bees moving from flower to flower. — Menganyi Moroga, Christian Science Monitor, 28 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustled
  1. grazed
  2. scurried
  3. crackled
  4. hurried
  5. squeaked
  6. sped
  7. whispered
  8. trotted
Verb
  • The village spokesperson said a DJ at the bar was also grazed by a bullet.
    — Jeramie Bizzle, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026
  • The bullet exited Riley’s head, ricocheted, and grazed a 13-year-old friend in the torso, police sources said.
    — Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of grazed
Verb
  • Vaquer took out Rodriguez and Perez in the process before the trio scurried away.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 4 Aug. 2026
  • While on camera in Los Angeles' Sherman Oaks neighborhood during a live broadcast, a cockroach scurried across Menitoff's blouse and chest before flying away.
    — Melina Khan, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Definition of scurried
Verb
  • Four years earlier, driving cross-country, our family had spent an unseasonably cold summer night at an Under Canvas site near Yellowstone, huddled in a king-size bed while a wood-burning stove crackled in the corner.
    — Dinaw Mengestu, Travel + Leisure, 28 July 2026
  • Fireworks crackled over the center-field scoreboard.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2026
Definition of crackled
Verb
  • For three consecutive evenings, just before dark, this bird zipped to the dining table, gobbled down a quick meal, then hurried back to its roost.
    — Tom Huggler, Outdoor Life, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Army Secretary Dan Driscoll was on vacation when the mission began and hurried back to Washington as troops mobilized.
    — Steven Beynon, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of hurried
Verb
  • Jansen & Oncins crushed Mixed-1, while Christian and Acevedo squeaked out Mixed-2 12-10 to force a DB.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Schwarber, who barely squeaked out of the first round, went first.
    — Johnny Flores Jr, New York Times, 14 July 2026
Definition of squeaked
Verb
  • Between 2008 and 2014, advances in an early branch of artificial intelligence known as machine learning, which allows computers to learn and adapt, sped up the experimental process at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
    — Chase Hunter, Mercury News, 14 Aug. 2026
  • As the plane sped down the runway, air traffic controllers and a witness on the ground noticed sparks coming from near its wheels.
    — Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of sped
Verb
  • Deep in the cornfields of northeast Iowa, a cacophony of voices loudly whispered to build a permanent baseball stadium.
    — Scott Dochterman, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
  • At the end of the third set, Gareth whispered into Marcy’s ear across the table, and her face took on a look of revulsion.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of whispered
Verb
  • Earlier this month, bulldozers were videoed uprooting trees and shoveling dirt as wild animals trotted by.
    — Ashley Killough, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • This time, Maye tossed an interception downfield, and trotted off toward the sideline in defeat.
    — Andrew Callahan, Boston Herald, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of trotted

Browse Nearby Words

rustle
rustled
rustler
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Rustled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rustled. Accessed 19 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on rustled

Nglish: Translation of rustled 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 balmy

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Is “GIF” Pronounced “Jiff” or “Giff”?

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
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
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All