Synonyms of rustling

rustling 1 of 2

noun

as in poaching

Related Words

• poaching
• looting
• smuggling
• rapine
• plundering
• pillage
• kidnapping
• abduction
• spoliation
• despoliation
• hijacking
• pilfering
• banditry
• piracy
• carjacking
• despoilment
• shoplifting
• black marketeering
• stealing
• petit larceny
• pilferage
• embezzlement
• filching
• petty larceny
• graft
• shanghaiing
• robbery
• purloining
• burglary
• misappropriation
• larceny
• peculation
• embezzling
• thievery
• misapplication
• theft
• housebreaking

rustling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of rustle

1

as in grazing

to feed on grass or herbs

just take the steer out to pasture and let it rustle for itself

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grazing
• foraging
• browsing
• pasturing
• feeding
• eating
• nibbling
• stocking
• ranging
• overgrazing

2

as in scurrying

to proceed or move quickly

rustled around enthusiastically on the morning of the big trip

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scurrying
• hurrying
• rushing
• speeding
• trotting
• flying
• zipping
• traveling
• racing
• driving
• buzzing
• chasing
• jumping
• darting
• running
• blowing
• scuttling
• scooting
• tearing
• dashing
• whirling
• stepping
• ripping
• bolting
• blasting
• zooming
• blazing
• hustling
• bustling
• shooting
• jogging
• hastening
• pelting
• ramming
• hurling
• whisking
• breezing
• nipping
• belting
• barreling
• humping
• bundling
• galloping
• hurtling
• bowling
• careering
• haring
• cracking (on)
• coursing
• motoring
• careening
• rocketing
• jetting
• flitting
• hying
• beating it
• scuffling
• highballing
• scampering
• bombing
• cannonballing
• scudding
• stepping on it
• hotfooting (it)
• making tracks
• stampeding
• whizzing
• shaking a leg
• getting a move on
• sprinting
• accelerating
• streaking
• beetling
• quickening
• overtaking
• outrunning
• stepping out
• outstripping
• outpacing
• catching up
• arrowing
• beelining
• fast-forwarding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• creeping
• crawling
• lingering
• poking
• dragging
• hanging (around or out)
• shuffling
• poking
• loitering
• lagging
• strolling
• dawdling
• sauntering
• ambling
• dallying
• lumbering
• plodding
• tarrying
• slowing (down or up)
• decelerating
• dillydallying

3

as in crackling

to make small sounds usually by rubbing or moving

my pet peeve is candy wrappers rustling during a movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crackling
• whispering
• squeaking
• crinkling
• creaking
• sighing
• murmuring
• gurgling
• swooshing
• crepitating
• whooshing
• babbling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rustling

Noun

Upon arrival, the constant chime of notifications stops, replaced by the sounds of Gulf waves, the rustling of marsh grasses, and the calls of shorebirds. — Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 19 May 2026

From the anti-Trump side, meanwhile, the American people hear a nervous rustling of vague doubts. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026

In the teaser, above, Joanna, 47, can be seen speaking on-camera discussing the plans for the construction of the home on the balcony before a rustling can be heard coming from the woods behind her. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025

The soft rustling of the tent flaps and the occasional distant dog barking underscored our vigil. — Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025

But most exciting was any sudden splash, or a strange, distant cry, or a mysterious rustling in the thick shore brush. — Ryan Knighton, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025

Great gray owls hunt blind, flying low, listening to the faintest rustling of a mouse beneath snow. — Kate Siber, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025

The dense canopy of trees, the rustling of leaves, and the interplay of light and shadow that evoke mood and emotions. — Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Verb

For 45 years, Alyson Dee Moore made the sounds that movies needed — the footsteps, the rustling clothes and doors swinging shut. — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

And the only hint of rain comes from the sound of wind rustling cactus spines, trickle trickle trickle. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026

Crack open the windows (but not too far), let the sound of cicadas lull you into a false sense of security, and try not to pay attention to whatever’s rustling in the darkness beyond the trees. — Alaina Urquhart, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026

Imagine two prehistoric humans hearing rustling in the bushes. — Alejandro Cárdenas Villa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

The only sounds were the birds, rustling leaves in the soft breeze, and insects buzzing around from flower to flower. — Lucrezia Worthington, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 June 2026

Around a bend, yellow wildflowers pop out of the underbrush, where curious deer and rustling ground squirrels (squinnies to this Iowan) startle. — Diane Penningroth, Midwest Living, 12 June 2026

The man looked at me in a rustling way, swaying toward me, his Styrofoam plate of angel hair and cherry tomatoes dotted with tiny black seeds like ants’ eyes. — Literary Hub, 3 June 2026

Nicole says high beef prices along with lax rustling laws in neighboring states are why Colorado cattle are prime targets for theft. — Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 31 May 2026