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
Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025
The near silences are fulsome: A light wind rustles a pine tree, and corn husks make that unmistakable scratching sound.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 1 Feb. 2025
John Werner, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
There are footsteps and rustles — is that a door closing?
—Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rustle
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Verb
The tree stands tall now, shielding multigenerational families from the sun at the edge of the same square, where bright concentric circles under rustling garlands encourage romvong circular dance.
—Jia H. Jung, Mercury News, 15 Apr. 2025
The near silences are fulsome: A light wind rustles a pine tree, and corn husks make that unmistakable scratching sound.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 1 Feb. 2025
Noun
Any time a leaf rustles in the outfield, the AI picks it up.
—John Werner, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
There are footsteps and rustles — is that a door closing?
—Amelia Nierenberg, New York Times, 25 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rustle
Cite this Entry
“Rustle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rustle. Accessed 26 Apr. 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
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