rattled; rattling
ˈrat-liŋ 
ˈra-tᵊl-iŋ
1
: to make a rapid succession of short sharp noises
the windows rattled in the wind
2
: to chatter incessantly and aimlessly
3
: to move with a clatter or rattle
also
: to be or move about in a place or station too large or grand
rattled around the big old house
1
a
: a device that produces a rattle
specifically
: a case containing pellets used as a baby's toy
b
: the sound-producing organ on a rattlesnake's tail
3
Synonyms
Examples of rattle in a Sentence
Noun
I'd go nuts if I had to endure the rattle of that bottling plant every day.
Recent Examples on the Web
Heather Chen, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
After months of supporting the war against Hamas, the White House has ramped up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and taken a sterner line that has rattled the countries' decades-old alliance and deepened Israel's international isolation over the war.
—Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024
But Biden’s results, which echoed similar protest votes in states like Michigan and Minnesota, have rattled Democrats who are eager to solidify the coalition that catapulted him into the White House in the first place.
—Darlene Superville, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Read more Concern over Biden's stance on the Israel-Hamas war is rattling high-profile campaign donors.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
An earthquake rattled homes and buildings in the East Bay around 11:14 a.m. Saturday.
—Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
That earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument, spurred the evacuation of the White House and Capitol, and rattled New Yorkers three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
—Jennifer Peltz, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
The earthquake, tentatively measured at 4.8 magnitude, shook buildings and rattled homes from Maine to Maryland, with an epicenter in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
More recently, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in 2020 near Sparta, N.C., rattling northwestern North Carolina and southwestern Virginia.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2024
For five minutes the worship space rattles and howls like a shuttle booster rocket, and after a palm-punishing standing ovation, this petty life resumes.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
But what was actually different about this protein in the snake’s body and rattle?
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
This silly barbell baby rattle will have everyone amused while your little baby gets in on the workout.
—Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024
And zero creaks or rattles emanate from the body or drivetrain, possibly the truest testament to EMC’s extensive experience.
—Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2024
Guests either got to wear a diaper with an oversized comical pin, a ruffled baby hat that came with a rattle, or adult-sized footy pajamas accessorized with a teddy bear and a sucker.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024
Pilots must be alert to rattles and to odors that don’t seem right.
—Longreads, 1 Feb. 2024
Safe for ages 3 months and up, the rattle is made of BPA-free plastic.
—Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024
John Bacon, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023
The ashes of Olivier were interred in the abbey in 1991; at the memorial service, a recording of the famous speech was played, filling the church with the actor’s glorious bellicosity and echoing over the tomb of King Henry, whose valor inspired the words that now rattled his bones.
—Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
The Aztecs rallied from at least eight down to win their previous three games, and rattled the Huskies with a 9-0 run, pulling within 56-50 as NRG Stadium went from snoozy to a potential doozy.
—John Marshall, ajc, 4 Apr. 2023
Trump’s New York team has been led by Susan Necheles, who has long-standing ties to the Trump Organization, and Joe Tacopina, who has conducted rounds of combative television interviews that have rattled some of Trump’s other lawyers.
—Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2023
All three were good looks that rattled in and out.
—Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2023
Even if a spiraling crisis of confidence in the US banking system rattled investors, the moves in the Cboe Volatility Index didn’t necessarily show that.
—Jess Menton, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2023
Frese and her players hoped to rattle the Crusaders with their defensive aggression.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2023
Kristin Smart's family hopes guilty verdict in her 1996 murder brings them some closure Smart’s disappearance rattled the town of San Luis Obispo, with little progress being made in the case for more than two decades.
—Travis Caldwell, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023
Verb
The sheer scale of Lan’s misconduct has rattled the public in a country that has long projected an image of authoritarian stability, analysts say — and raised alarm among foreign investors, a key driver of Vietnam’s booming economy.
—Heather Chen, CNN, 12 Apr. 2024
After months of supporting the war against Hamas, the White House has ramped up pressure on Israel to reach a cease-fire and taken a sterner line that has rattled the countries' decades-old alliance and deepened Israel's international isolation over the war.
—Tia Goldenberg, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024
But Biden’s results, which echoed similar protest votes in states like Michigan and Minnesota, have rattled Democrats who are eager to solidify the coalition that catapulted him into the White House in the first place.
—Darlene Superville, Fortune, 9 Apr. 2024
Read more Concern over Biden's stance on the Israel-Hamas war is rattling high-profile campaign donors.
—USA TODAY, 8 Apr. 2024
An earthquake rattled homes and buildings in the East Bay around 11:14 a.m. Saturday.
—Kate Talerico, The Mercury News, 6 Apr. 2024
That earthquake left cracks in the Washington Monument, spurred the evacuation of the White House and Capitol, and rattled New Yorkers three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terror attacks.
—Jennifer Peltz, The Christian Science Monitor, 5 Apr. 2024
The earthquake, tentatively measured at 4.8 magnitude, shook buildings and rattled homes from Maine to Maryland, with an epicenter in Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
—Kalhan Rosenblatt, NBC News, 5 Apr. 2024
More recently, a magnitude 5.1 earthquake occurred in 2020 near Sparta, N.C., rattling northwestern North Carolina and southwestern Virginia.
—Jenny Jarvie, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2024
Noun
It's surrounded by nature, far from the rattle and hum of all-inclusive resorts, beach bars, and cruise ships.
—Meagan Drillinger, Travel + Leisure, 13 Apr. 2024
For five minutes the worship space rattles and howls like a shuttle booster rocket, and after a palm-punishing standing ovation, this petty life resumes.
—Jonathan Rowe, SPIN, 4 Apr. 2024
But what was actually different about this protein in the snake’s body and rattle?
—Quanta Magazine, 11 Mar. 2024
This silly barbell baby rattle will have everyone amused while your little baby gets in on the workout.
—Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024
And zero creaks or rattles emanate from the body or drivetrain, possibly the truest testament to EMC’s extensive experience.
—Michael Van Runkle, Robb Report, 14 Feb. 2024
Guests either got to wear a diaper with an oversized comical pin, a ruffled baby hat that came with a rattle, or adult-sized footy pajamas accessorized with a teddy bear and a sucker.
—CBS News, 17 Mar. 2024
Pilots must be alert to rattles and to odors that don’t seem right.
—Longreads, 1 Feb. 2024
Safe for ages 3 months and up, the rattle is made of BPA-free plastic.
—Maya Polton, Parents, 8 Mar. 2024
Verb
Storms move farther east The severe weather that rattled more than a dozen states on Tuesday was expected to move east on Wednesday.
—John Bacon, USA TODAY, 5 Apr. 2023
The ashes of Olivier were interred in the abbey in 1991; at the memorial service, a recording of the famous speech was played, filling the church with the actor’s glorious bellicosity and echoing over the tomb of King Henry, whose valor inspired the words that now rattled his bones.
—Peter Ross, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Apr. 2023
The Aztecs rallied from at least eight down to win their previous three games, and rattled the Huskies with a 9-0 run, pulling within 56-50 as NRG Stadium went from snoozy to a potential doozy.
—John Marshall, ajc, 4 Apr. 2023
Trump’s New York team has been led by Susan Necheles, who has long-standing ties to the Trump Organization, and Joe Tacopina, who has conducted rounds of combative television interviews that have rattled some of Trump’s other lawyers.
—Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Rosalind S. Helderman, The Washington Post, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Apr. 2023
All three were good looks that rattled in and out.
—Adam Baum, The Enquirer, 19 Mar. 2023
Even if a spiraling crisis of confidence in the US banking system rattled investors, the moves in the Cboe Volatility Index didn’t necessarily show that.
—Jess Menton, Fortune, 18 Mar. 2023
Frese and her players hoped to rattle the Crusaders with their defensive aggression.
—Childs Walker, Baltimore Sun, 17 Mar. 2023
Kristin Smart's family hopes guilty verdict in her 1996 murder brings them some closure Smart’s disappearance rattled the town of San Luis Obispo, with little progress being made in the case for more than two decades.
—Travis Caldwell, CNN, 10 Mar. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'rattle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near rattle
Cite this Entry
“Rattle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rattle. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rattle
1 of 2 verb
rat·tle
ˈrat-ᵊl
rattled; rattling
ˈrat-liŋ
-ᵊl-iŋ
1
: to make or cause to make a rattle
windows rattling in the wind
2
: chatter sense 2
rattled on and on about the party
3
: to move with a rattle
the old truck rattled down the street
4
: to say or do in a brisk lively way
rattled off the answers
5
: to disturb the calmness of : upset
the question rattled the speaker
rattle
2 of 2 noun1
: a series of short sharp sounds : clatter
2
: a device (as a toy) for making a rattling sound
3
: a rattling organ at the end of a rattlesnake's tail made up of horny joints
Medical Definition
rattle
noun
rat·tle
ˈrat-ᵊl
1
: the sound-producing organ on a rattlesnake's tail
2
: a throat noise caused by air passing through mucus
specifically
: death rattle compare rale, rhonchus
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