rustled; rustling
ˈrə-s(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to make or cause a rustle
2
a
: to act or move with energy or speed
b
: to forage food
3
: to steal cattle
1
: to cause to rustle
2
a
: to obtain by one's own exertions
—often used with up
able to rustle up $5,000 bail—
Jack McCallum
Jack McCallum
b
: forage
3
: to steal (livestock) especially from a farm or ranch
: a quick succession or confusion of small sounds
Examples of rustle in a Sentence
Verb
The trees rustled in the wind.
Her skirt rustled as she walked.
He rustled the papers on his desk.
Noun
He heard a rustle of leaves behind him.
Recent Examples on the Web
Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2025
The wind seemed to rustle the leaves, spread across four paintings, all painted in 1889.
—Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2025
Crows rustle in Dylan Southern’s fiction feature debut, the haunting story of a middle-aged man coming to terms with the sudden and unexpected death of his wife, the mother of his two boys.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rustle
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Verb
Add 4 ½ ounces of cold water or club soda to a cup for a dry version, or 3 ounces of cold water plus 1 ½ ounces of your spirit of choice for a cocktail.
Place 1 sachet in the cup, then rustle or shake the sachet to speed up the flavor infusion.
—Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 16 Feb. 2025
The wind seemed to rustle the leaves, spread across four paintings, all painted in 1889.
—Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, 20 Jan. 2025
Noun
The noises of all the organisms living together in a particular place—the trill of birdsong, thrum of insect wings, rustle of leaves, cacophony of yips, or a lonely midnight howl—make up that setting’s biophony, an audio signature of life.
—The New Yorker, 12 Feb. 2025
Crows rustle in Dylan Southern’s fiction feature debut, the haunting story of a middle-aged man coming to terms with the sudden and unexpected death of his wife, the mother of his two boys.
—Damon Wise, Deadline, 25 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rustle
Articles Related to rustle
Cite this Entry
“Rustle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rustle. Accessed 3 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
rustle
1 of 2 verb
rus·tle
ˈrəs-əl
rustled; rustling
ˈrəs-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to make or cause to make a rustle
2
: to act or move with energy
3
: to steal (as cattle) from the range
rustle
2 of 2 noun
: a quick series of small sounds
the rustle of leaves
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share