HUSTLE

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 Dictionary entry overview: What does hustle mean? 

• HUSTLE (noun)
  The noun HUSTLE has 2 senses:

1. a swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property

2. a rapid active commotion

  Familiarity information: HUSTLE used as a noun is rare.

• HUSTLE (verb)
  The verb HUSTLE has 5 senses:

1. cause to move furtively and hurriedly

2. move or cause to move energetically or busily

3. sell something to or obtain something from by energetic and especially underhanded activity

4. get by trying hard

5. pressure or urge someone into an action

  Familiarity information: HUSTLE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• HUSTLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A swindle in which you cheat at gambling or persuade a person to buy worthless property

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

bunco; bunco game; bunko; bunko game; con; con game; confidence game; confidence trick; flimflam; hustle; sting

Hypernyms ("hustle" is a kind of...):

cheat; rig; swindle (the act of swindling by some fraudulent scheme)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "hustle"):

sting operation (a complicated confidence game planned and executed with great care (especially an operation implemented by undercover agents to apprehend criminals))

Sense 2

Meaning:

A rapid active commotion

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

ado; bustle; flurry; fuss; hustle; stir

Hypernyms ("hustle" is a kind of...):

commotion; din; ruckus; ruction; rumpus; tumult (the act of making a noisy disturbance)

Derivation:

hustle (move or cause to move energetically or busily)

• HUSTLE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they hustle    ... he / she / it hustles   
Past simple: hustled   
Past participle: hustled   
-ing form: hustling   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Cause to move furtively and hurriedly

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Context example:

The secret service agents hustled the speaker out of the amphitheater

Hypernyms (to "hustle" is one way to...):

displace; move (cause to move or shift into a new position or place, both in a concrete and in an abstract sense)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody
Something ----s something

Sense 2

Meaning:

Move or cause to move energetically or busily

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

bustle; bustle about; hustle

Context example:

The cheerleaders bustled about excitingly before their performance

Hypernyms (to "hustle" is one way to...):

move (move so as to change position, perform a nontranslational motion)

"Hustle" entails doing...:

belt along; bucket along; cannonball along; hasten; hie; hotfoot; pelt along; race; rush; rush along; speed; step on it (move hurridly)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

hustle (a rapid active commotion)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Sell something to or obtain something from by energetic and especially underhanded activity

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Synonyms:

hustle; pluck; roll

Hypernyms (to "hustle" is one way to...):

rip; rip off; steal (take without the owner's consent)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s something from somebody

Derivation:

hustler (a shrewd or unscrupulous person who knows how to circumvent difficulties)

hustler (a prostitute who attracts customers by walking the streets)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Get by trying hard

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Context example:

she hustled a free lunch from the waiter

Hypernyms (to "hustle" is one way to...):

have; receive (get something; come into possession of)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Sense 5

Meaning:

Pressure or urge someone into an action

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "hustle" is one way to...):

persuade (cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

 Context examples 

Amy was up at dawn, hustling people out of their beds and through their breakfasts, that the house might be got in order.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

But Wolf Larsen cried out to him: Cooky, you’ve got to hustle to-night. I’m busy with Hump, and you’ll do the best you can without him.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

My landlady down Fratton way had some inquiries, and when I heard of it I guessed it was time for me to hustle.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

After the first two or three strange dogs had been downed and destroyed, the white men hustled their own animals back on board and wreaked savage vengeance on the offenders.

(White Fang, by Jack London)

This ill-directed fleet had been hustled into port by the pressure of the well-manned and well-commanded British, who had pinned them there ever since, so that they had never had an opportunity of learning seamanship.

(Rodney Stone, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

Kidnappers and inveiglers were planted in all the avenues of entrance to the Commons, with instructions to do their utmost to cut off all persons in mourning, and all gentlemen with anything bashful in their appearance, and entice them to the offices in which their respective employers were interested; which instructions were so well observed, that I myself, before I was known by sight, was twice hustled into the premises of our principal opponent.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

Yet, when he came with bowed head and humble entreaty for forgiveness, he was met with a handful of small silver from Sir Nigel, whose dame, however, was less charitably disposed, being much ruffled in her dignity by the manner in which she had been hustled from her lord's side.

(The White Company, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

People laugh at them, and hustle them about, try to keep them out of sight, and expect them to turn all at once from pretty children into fine young men.

(Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott)

From the hiding-place into which I had been so swiftly hustled I heard the footfalls upon the stair, with the opening and the closing of the bedroom door.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

You couldn’t walk alone between two sunrises and hustle the meat for your belly for three meals.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)