Hustle — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb noun /ˈhə-səl/ hus·tle

Meaning & Definition of Hustle

Hustle (verb)

  1. to crowd or push roughly, jostle, shove
  2. to convey forcibly or hurriedly
  3. to urge forward precipitately

Hustle (noun)

  1. energetic activity
  2. effort and energy in playing a sport
  3. a dishonest plan for getting money, scam

Hustle (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. excited and often showy or disorderly speed

    "enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the holiday season"

    similar: haste, hastiness, hurry, precipitation, precipitousness, rush
    related: bustle, flurry, flutter, scurry, scuttle, stir, whirl, beeline, dash, scramble, stampede, hotheadedness, impetuosity, impetuousness, impulsiveness, impulsivity, rashness, expedition, expeditiousness, fastness, fleetness, quickness, rapidity, rapidness, speed, speediness, swiftness, velocity, celerity, dispatch, promptitude, promptness
    opposite: deliberateness, deliberation
    near: dilatoriness, lateness, pokiness, procrastination, slowness, languor, leisureliness, lethargy, sluggishness, torpor, dormancy, inaction, inactivity, inertia, inertness, quiescence

  2. readiness to engage in daring or difficult activity

    "with his characteristic hustle, he had all the plans for the conference lined up in a matter of days"

    similar: action, aggressiveness, ambition, drive, enterprise, go, initiative
    related: grit, gumption, pluck, snap, spirit, spunk, starch, ambitiousness, killer instinct, overambitiousness, assertiveness, self-reliance, energy, hardihood, pep, vigor, vitality
    near: inactivity, inertia, passivity, diffidence, faintheartedness, timidity, hesitation, reluctance, indolence, laziness, lethargy

  3. an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value

    "a clever hustle that tricked people into revealing their bank account information"

    similar: bunco, con, fiddle (chiefly British), flimflam, fraud, scam, shell game, sting, swindle
    related: cross, fix, Ponzi scheme, pyramid scheme, racket, rip-off, thimblerig, three-card monte, device, dodge, gimmick, jig, ploy, scheme, sleight, stratagem, trick, wile, gouging, overcharging, soaking, counterfeit, fake, forgery, hoax, humbug, phony, sham

Hustle (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to devote serious and sustained effort

    "everyone really hustled to get the project finished on schedule"

    similar: 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, sweat blood
    related: apply (oneself), buckle (down), dig in, hammer (away), knuckle down, pitch in, attack, drive, essay, try, exercise, exert, overexert, overwork, eke out, grind (out), put out, scrabble, scratch, trudge, wade
    near: break, ease (up), let up, slacken, bum, chill, dally, dillydally, footle, goldbrick, goof (off), hack (around), hang (around or out), idle, laze, loaf, lounge, shirk, slack (off), veg out, bask, loll, relax, repose, rest, unwind, dabble, doodle, fool around, fribble, goof (around), hang, hang about (British), mess around, monkey (around), play, potter (around), putter (around), trifle

  2. to proceed or move quickly

    "we'd better hustle, or we'll miss the train"

    similar: barrel, belt, blast, blaze, blow, bolt, bomb (slang), bowl, breeze, bundle, bustle, buzz, cannonball, careen, career, chase, course, crack (on), dash, drive, fly, hare, hasten, hie, highball, hotfoot (it), hump, hurl, hurry, hurtle, jet, jump, motor, nip, pelt, race, ram, rip, rocket, run, rush, rustle, scoot, scurry, scuttle, shoot, speed, step, tear, travel, trot, whirl, whisk, zip, zoom, beat it, get a move on, make tracks, shake a leg, step on it
    related: beetle, dart, flit, scamper, scud, scuffle, stampede, streak, whiz, gallop, jog, sprint, accelerate, quicken, step out, catch up, fast-forward, outpace, outrun, outstrip, overtake, arrow, beeline
    opposite: crawl, creep, poke
    near: dally, dawdle, dillydally, drag, hang (around or out), lag, linger, loiter, poke, tarry, amble, lumber, plod, saunter, shuffle, stroll, decelerate, slow (down or up)

  3. to rob by the use of trickery or threats

    "a swindler who hustled cashiers by getting them all confused while they were making change"

    similar: beat, bilk, bleed, cheat, chisel, chouse, con, cozen, defraud, diddle, do, do in, euchre, fiddle, fleece, flimflam, gaff, hose (slang), mulct, nobble (British slang), pluck, ream, rip off, rook, screw, shake down, short, shortchange, skin, skunk, squeeze, stick, stiff, sting, sucker, swindle, thimblerig, victimize, sell a bill of goods to, take for a ride, take to the cleaners
    related: extort, wrench, wrest, wring, clip, gouge, nick, overcharge, soak, exploit, milk, deceive, dupe, fool, gull, trick, rope (in), betray, bitch, double-cross, bamboozle, fast-talk

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hustle

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hustle:

Slang: bomb, hose
Chiefly British: fiddle
British slang: nobble
haste, hastiness, hurry, precipitation, precipitousness, rush, action, aggressiveness, ambition, drive, enterprise, go, initiative, bunco, con, flimflam, fraud, scam, shell game, sting, swindle, bang away, beaver (away), dig (away), drudge, endeavor, fag, grub, hump, labor, moil, peg (away), plod, plow, plug, slave, slog, strain, strive, struggle

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hustle

Words with the opposite meaning of Hustle:

deliberateness, deliberation, crawl, creep, poke

Related Words for Hustle

flurry, flutter, stir, beeline, scramble, stampede, hotheadedness, impetuosity, impetuousness, impulsiveness, impulsivity, rashness, expedition, expeditiousness, fastness, fleetness, quickness, rapidity, rapidness, speediness, swiftness, velocity, celerity, dispatch, promptitude, promptness, grit, gumption, snap, spirit

Near Antonyms of Hustle

dilatoriness, lateness, pokiness, procrastination, slowness, languor, leisureliness, lethargy, sluggishness, torpor, dormancy, inaction, inactivity, inertia, inertness, quiescence, passivity, diffidence, faintheartedness, timidity, hesitation, reluctance, indolence, laziness, break, ease (up), let up, slacken, bum, chill

Word Forms of Hustle

Inflections: hustled, hustling, hustles

Origin & Etymology of Hustle

Dutch husselen to shake, from Middle Dutch hutselen, frequentative of hutsen

First known use: 1751t

Words & Phrases Containing Hustle

hustle up, side hustle

Frequently Asked Questions about Hustle

What does "Hustle" mean?

"Hustle" means to crowd or push roughly, jostle, shove. As an a verb and a noun, it is defined as: to crowd or push roughly, jostle, shove. It has 6 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hustle"?

Other words for "Hustle" include haste, hastiness, hurry, precipitation, precipitousness, rush, action and aggressiveness. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hustle" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hustle"?

There are 270 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hustle". Common alternatives include haste, hastiness, hurry, precipitation, precipitousness, rush, action, aggressiveness, ambition and drive.

What is a slang word for "Hustle"?

Slang words for "Hustle" include bomb, hose and nobble.

What is the opposite of "Hustle"?

Antonyms of "Hustle" include deliberateness, deliberation, crawl, creep and poke. Near antonyms include dilatoriness, lateness, pokiness and procrastination.

How do you use "Hustle" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hustle" in a sentence: "enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the holiday season"; "with his characteristic hustle, he had all the plans for the conference lined up in a matter of days"; "a clever hustle that tricked people into revealing their bank account information".

Is "Hustle" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hustle" can be used as a verb and a noun, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Hustle"?

"Hustle" is pronounced /ˈhə-səl/ and divided into syllables as hus·tle.