bustle

1 of 3

verb

bus·​tle ˈbə-səl 

bustled; bustling ˈbəs-liŋ 

ˈbə-sə-

intransitive verb

1

: to move briskly and often ostentatiously

bustled around the kitchen

2

: to be busily astir : teem

The house was bustling with activity.

bustle

2 of 3

noun (1)

: noisy, energetic, and often obtrusive activity

the hustle and bustle of the big city

bustle

3 of 3

noun (2)

clothing : a pad or framework expanding and supporting the fullness and drapery of the back of a woman's skirt or dress

the bustle of a 19th century wedding gown

also : the drapery so supported

Synonyms

Verb

• abound
• brim
• bristle
• bulge
• burst
• buzz
• crawl
• hum
• overflow
• pullulate
• swarm
• teem

Noun (1)

• ado
• alarums and excursions
• ballyhoo
• blather
• bluster
• bobbery
• bother
• clatter
• clutter [chiefly dialect]
• coil
• commotion
• corroboree [Australian]
• disturbance
• do [chiefly dialect]
• foofaraw
• fun
• furor
• furore
• fuss
• helter-skelter
• hoo-ha
• hoo-hah
• hoopla
• hubble-bubble
• hubbub
• hullabaloo
• hurly
• hurly-burly
• hurricane
• hurry
• hurry-scurry
• hurry-skurry
• kerfuffle [chiefly British]
• moil
• pandemonium
• pother
• row
• ruckus
• ruction
• rumpus
• shindy
• splore [Scottish]
• squall
• stew
• stir
• storm
• to-do
• tumult
• turmoil
• uproar
• welter
• whirl
• williwaw
• zoo

Examples of bustle in a Sentence

Verb

She bustled around the kitchen getting ready for dinner guests.

on Saturdays the city's downtown bustles with activity as a farmers' market sets up shop

Noun (1)

I couldn't concentrate in all the bustle of the student lounge

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Tucked up in the hills between Cannes and Grasse, a small stucco villa once owned by America’s most beloved culinary icon is bustling with the clatter of copper pans at chef Makenna Held’s Cook Camp. —Rhonda Richford, Footwear News, 24 May 2025

This is not the first time a Vanderbilt official has mentioned the idea of capitalizing on the tourism haven that bustles just outside the walls of the university. —Joe Rexrode, New York Times, 22 May 2025

Noun

Your brain is trained to be 17 different people in a week by the hustle and bustle of it. —Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 22 May 2025

Passengers who take a shuttle to meet their drivers rarely see the bustle of the pen. —Eli Tan, New York Times, 14 May 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

probably alteration of obsolete buskle to prepare, frequentative of busk, from Old Norse būask to prepare oneself

Noun (2)

origin unknown

First Known Use

Verb

1548, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (1)

1637, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1782, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bustle

• hustle and bustle

Rhymes for bustle

• hustle
• muscle
• mussel
• russel
• rustle
• trussell
• tussle
• mofussil

Kids Definition

bustle

1 of 2 verb

bus·​tle ˈbəs-əl 

bustled; bustling ˈbəs-(ə-)liŋ 

: to move about busily or noisily

bustle

2 of 2 noun

: noisy or energetic activity