hustle
1 of 2verb
hus·tle ˈhə-səl 
hustled; hustling ˈhə-s(ə-)liŋ
transitive verb
1
a
: to crowd or push roughly : jostle, shove
had been hustled into a jail cell with the other protesters
b
: to convey forcibly or hurriedly
… grabbed him by the arm and hustled him out the door …
John Dos Passos
John Dos Passos c
: to urge forward precipitately
hustling tourists from one museum to the next
2
a
: to obtain by energetic activity —usually used with up
hustle up new customerstry to hustle up some tickets to tonight's gamehustling up some grub
b
: to sell something to or obtain something from (someone) by energetic and especially underhanded activity : swindle
hustling the suckers
an elaborate scam to hustle the elderly
c
: to sell or promote energetically and aggressively
hustling a new product
d
: to lure less skillful players into competing against oneself at (a gambling game)
hustle pool
intransitive verb
1
: shove, press
2
: hasten, hurry
you'd better hustle if you want to catch the bus
3
a
: to make strenuous efforts to obtain especially money or business
Our quartet was out hustling … and we knew we stood good to take in a lot of change before the night was over. Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong b
: to obtain money by fraud or deception
c
: to engage in prostitution
4
: to play a game or sport in an alert aggressive manner
She's not the most talented player on the team, but she always hustles.
hustle
2 of 2noun
1
a
: energetic activity
I … went about the hustle of summer life. Stephen W. Kress
Stephen W. KressYou stepped out of Penn Station into the dizzying hustle of Eighth Avenue … Colson Whitehead
Colson WhiteheadI enjoy the hustle and bustle of the city.
b
chiefly US : effort and energy in playing a sport
a baseball player who has been criticized for lack of hustle
The fans admire them for their hustle.
a player known more for his hustle than his talent
2
informal : a dishonest plan for getting money : scam
Now, the secret of any hustle is that you have to have information that the other guy doesn't have. Paul Newman
Paul Newman… a once-inspired con man on his last hustle … Marilyn Stasio
Marilyn Stasio
Synonyms
Verb
- bang away
- beaver (away)
- dig (away)
- drudge
- endeavor
- fag
- grub
- hump
- labor
- moil
- peg (away)
- plod
- plow
- plug
- slave
- slog
- strain
- strive
- struggle
- sweat
- toil
- travail
- tug
- work
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Verb The guards hustled the prisoners into the jail. The star's manager hustled him out the back door of the theater to avoid the throngs of fans. He's not the most talented player on the team, but he always hustles. He's been hustling drugs for a few years. They hustle diamonds, furs—whatever people are buying.
Recent Examples on the Web Eli Cahan, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2022 Last week, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said the coaches would have to hustle to have Williams ready for the season when he became medically cleared to return to the field. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 9 June 2022 No one has pouted, failed to hustle or responded to the jeering at Comerica Park — even Javier Baez, who has become a favorite target of the boo birds. Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, 17 June 2022 One key possibility is that one of the parties involved wanted an ESPN story out there, in order to try to hustle the negotiations along, or to try to induce a changed offer or position. Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 June 2022 Another Blue Devil error, coming on an errant throw to first on a bunt attempt by senior Luke Wagner, allowed Janzen to hustle his way home for another run. Evan Merrill, The Enquirer, 3 June 2022 Drive is one thing, but being able to hustle through it is another thing. Frederick Daso, Forbes, 1 June 2022 Because of the scale and prestige of the military’s training programs, their institutional practices remain highly influential on civilian exercise, which has helped to hustle the sit-up further to the margins over the past few years. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 28 May 2022 The crew’s formula for speed is to hustle up the mountainside with trees, use a tool known as a HoeDad to make a hole, insert the seedling, and then promptly repeat. Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2022 See More
Verb
When the alarms sounded, Juanico would hustle to grab the clean garments off the clothesline before she was enveloped by dust clouds. Eli Cahan, USA TODAY, 26 Aug. 2022 Last week, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said the coaches would have to hustle to have Williams ready for the season when he became medically cleared to return to the field. Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, 9 June 2022 No one has pouted, failed to hustle or responded to the jeering at Comerica Park — even Javier Baez, who has become a favorite target of the boo birds. Carlos Monarrez, Detroit Free Press, 17 June 2022 One key possibility is that one of the parties involved wanted an ESPN story out there, in order to try to hustle the negotiations along, or to try to induce a changed offer or position. Andy Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune, 4 June 2022 Another Blue Devil error, coming on an errant throw to first on a bunt attempt by senior Luke Wagner, allowed Janzen to hustle his way home for another run. Evan Merrill, The Enquirer, 3 June 2022 Drive is one thing, but being able to hustle through it is another thing. Frederick Daso, Forbes, 1 June 2022 Because of the scale and prestige of the military’s training programs, their institutional practices remain highly influential on civilian exercise, which has helped to hustle the sit-up further to the margins over the past few years. Amanda Mull, The Atlantic, 28 May 2022 The crew’s formula for speed is to hustle up the mountainside with trees, use a tool known as a HoeDad to make a hole, insert the seedling, and then promptly repeat. Kurtis Alexander, San Francisco Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
Verb
Dutch husselen to shake, from Middle Dutch hutselen, frequentative of hutsen
First Known Use
Verb
1720, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Noun
1897, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Phrases Containing hustle
Kids Definition
hustle 1 of 2
verb
hus·tle ˈhə-səl
hustled; hustling
1
: to push, crowd, or force forward roughly
Officers hustled the prisoner to jail.
2
: to move or work rapidly and tirelessly
They're hustling to get the job done.
He hustled back to class.
hustle
2 of 2noun
: energetic activity
The hustle and bustle of the school day began.
hustled
verb
1
as in struggled
to devote serious and sustained effort everyone really hustled to get the project finished on schedule Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- struggled
- labored
- worked
- tried
- wrought
- tugged
- toiled
- plowed
- sweated
- drudged
- endeavored
- humped
- grubbed
- strived
- slogged
- plodded
- slaved
- strove
- sweat
- plugged
- fagged
- travailed
- moiled
- banged away
- strained
- sweat blood
- attacked
- drove
- dug (away)
- sweated blood
- essayed
- trudged
- scratched
- pegged (away)
- exerted
- waded
- dug in
- exercised
- beavered (away)
- pitched in
- scrabbled
- overworked
- overexerted
- knuckled down
- eked out
- hammered (away)
- buckled (down)
- applied (oneself)
- put out
- ground (out)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- broke
- slackened
- lounged
- chilled
- eased (up)
- loafed
- shirked
- idled
- rested
- lazed
- dallied
- bummed
- let up
- played
- basked
- hung (around or out)
- hung
- relaxed
- hanged (around or out)
- unwound
- lolled
- slacked (off)
- goofed (off)
- reposed
- hacked (around)
- hanged
- dabbled
- trifled
- goldbricked
- footled
- dillydallied
- doodled
- fooled around
- vegged out
- hung about
- goofed (around)
- puttered (around)
- pottered (around)
- monkeyed (around)
- messed around
- fribbled
2
as in hurried
to proceed or move quickly we'd better hustle, or we'll miss the train Synonyms & Similar Words
- hurried
- scurried
- sped
- raced
- rushed
- trotted
- drove
- traveled
- flew
- chased
- jumped
- zipped
- scooted
- buzzed
- stepped
- ran
- travelled
- run
- darted
- speeded
- blew
- blasted
- scuttled
- bustled
- dashed
- bolted
- jogged
- whirled
- rammed
- ripped
- breezed
- hurtled
- hastened
- bowled
- whisked
- zoomed
- tore
- motored
- careened
- blazed
- rustled
- humped
- hurled
- hied
- barreled
- rocketed
- bundled
- pelted
- nipped
- shot
- jetted
- galloped
- scampered
- bombed
- sprinted
- coursed
- hared
- belted
- careered
- beat it
- scuffled
- flitted
- barrelled
- highballed
- cannonballed
- stampeded
- whizzed
- stepped on it
- streaked
- shook a leg
- scudded
- made tracks
- accelerated
- hotfooted (it)
- cracked (on)
- got a move on
- beetled
- outran
- overtook
- outpaced
- quickened
- outstripped
- beelined
- stepped out
- arrowed
- caught up
- fast-forwarded
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dragged
- crawled
- crept
- poked
- lingered
- strolled
- lagged
- loitered
- poked
- sauntered
- shuffled
- ambled
- hung (around or out)
- dawdled
- hanged (around or out)
- plodded
- tarried
- dallied
- lumbered
- decelerated
- slowed (down or up)
- dillydallied
3
as in squeezed
to rob by the use of trickery or threats a swindler who hustled cashiers by getting them all confused while they were making change Synonyms & Similar Words
- squeezed
- plucked
- cheated
- stung
- stuck
- did
- screwed
- beat
- tricked
- suckered
- bled
- stiffed
- swindled
- rooked
- shortchanged
- conned
- victimized
- deceived
- diddled
- reamed
- fiddled
- bilked
- exploited
- fleeced
- defrauded
- fooled
- hosed
- cozened
- gaffed
- shorted
- mulcted
- skinned
- chiseled
- flimflammed
- betrayed
- euchred
- wrenched
- ripped off
- shook down
- skunked
- extorted
- nobbled
- choused
- took to the cleaners
- took for a ride
- nicked
- gouged
- clipped
- thimblerigged
- soaked
- wrested
- milked
- chiselled
- wrung
- did in
- duped
- bitched
- gulled
- overcharged
- sold a bill of goods to
- bamboozled
- double-crossed
- fast-talked
- roped (in)