What does "hustle" mean?
A state of busy activity.
Hustle
/ˈhʌsəl/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A state of busy activity.
- Grammar: hustle is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: bustle, con, accelerate, action.
- Useful contrasts: calm, carefulness, dawdle.
- Usage evidence: I miss the hustle and bustle of city life.
How to use "hustle"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "hustle" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "hustle" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "hustle" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "hustle" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "hustle" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "bustle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "hustle", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A state of busy activity. countable, uncountable
- 2 a rapid active commotion wordnet
- 3 A propensity to work hard and get things done; ability to hustle. countable, uncountable
"'It's just natural for the folks here to be indolent,' she said. 'They just haven't got any hustle in them.'"
- 4 a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property wordnet
- 5 A type of disco dance, commonly danced to the Van McCoy song The Hustle (1975). countable, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A scam or swindle. countable, uncountable
- 7 An activity, such as prostitution or reselling stolen items, that a prisoner uses to earn money in prison. countable, slang, uncountable
- 8 An act of prostitution. countable, slang, uncountable
"Little Joe never once gave it away / Everybody had to pay and pay / A hustle here and a hustle there / New York City's the place"
- 9 An activity, especially to achieve a desired goal or make money. countable, informal, uncountable
"Everybody's got a hustle."
Verb
- 1 To push someone roughly; to crowd; to jostle.
"There is an hour or two, after the passengers have embarked, which is disquieting and fussy.[…]Passengers wander restlessly about or hurry, with futile energy, from place to place. Pushing men hustle each other at the windows of the purser's office, under pretence of expecting letters or despatching telegrams."
- 2 pressure or urge someone into an action wordnet
- 3 To rush or hurry. intransitive
"I'll have to hustle to get there on time."
- 4 move or cause to move energetically or busily wordnet
- 5 To bundle; to stow something quickly. transitive
"There was a person called Nana who ruled the nursery. Sometimes she took no notice of the playthings lying about, and sometimes, for no reason whatever, she went swooping about like a great wind and hustled them away in cupboards."
Show 12 more definitions
- 6 cause to move furtively and hurriedly wordnet
- 7 To con, swindle, or deceive, especially financially. transitive
"The guy tried to hustle me into buying into a bogus real estate deal."
- 8 get by trying hard wordnet
- 9 To play deliberately badly at a game or sport in an attempt to encourage players to challenge one.
- 10 sell something to or obtain something from by energetic and especially underhanded activity wordnet
- 11 To obtain by illicit or forceful action. informal
- 12 To sell sex; to work as a pimp. informal
- 13 To be a prostitute; to exchange use of one's body for sexual purposes for money. informal
"All my life, been hustling / And tonight is my appraisal / 'Cause I'm a hooker selling songs / And my pimp's a record label"
- 14 To serve (a clientele) as a prostitute. informal
"When I was in Morocco I wrote this play ("Playland Blues") about young kids who […] hustle old gay men and closet queens."
- 15 To dance the hustle, a disco dance.
- 16 To work. informal
- 17 To put a lot of effort into one's work. informal
"Frazier and Gary worked for me for free -- for six months -- they didn't take any money from the house. They worked for tips. They both had other jobs, and they came in here and they hustled their ass."
Antonyms
Example
"I miss the hustle and bustle of city life."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "hustle"?
Common synonyms include: bustle, con, accelerate, action, activity, activity.
How do you use "hustle" in a sentence?
I miss the hustle and bustle of city life.
How do you pronounce "hustle"?
Pronounced /ˈhʌsəl/.
Etymology
From Dutch husselen or by metathesis from Dutch hutselen (“to shake up”), a frequentative of hutsen (“to stir, to move something (back and forth)”).