bustled; bustling
ˈbəs-liŋ 
ˈbə-sə-
1
: to move briskly and often ostentatiously
bustled around the kitchen
2
: to be busily astir : teem
The house was bustling with activity.
: noisy, energetic, and often obtrusive activity
the hustle and bustle of the big city
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
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
Mark Walker, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
Even during the peak of the pandemic, the hotel’s sister property, the 82-room Bulgari Hotel, Shanghai, was bustling with local customers, general manager Matthias Terrettaz says.
—Chadner Navarro, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2025
Lucille Sherman, Axios, 22 Jan. 2025
Regenerative braking makes a significant contribution to the overall efficiency of electrified vehicles and is designed for the hustle and bustle of city streets.
—Peter Douglas, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bustle 
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show current usage.
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Verb
But interviews with helicopter pilots suggest that the Black Hawk was also dealing with a set of complex flying conditions, some of which are typical for the bustling area around National Airport outside Washington and some of which were unique to the series of events that happened last Wednesday.
—Mark Walker, New York Times, 5 Feb. 2025
Even during the peak of the pandemic, the hotel’s sister property, the 82-room Bulgari Hotel, Shanghai, was bustling with local customers, general manager Matthias Terrettaz says.
—Chadner Navarro, Robb Report, 30 Jan. 2025
Noun
The two cozy neighborhood spots will bring bustle to a downtown-adjacent area that has long sat vacant.
—Lucille Sherman, Axios, 22 Jan. 2025
Regenerative braking makes a significant contribution to the overall efficiency of electrified vehicles and is designed for the hustle and bustle of city streets.
—Peter Douglas, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for bustle
Dictionary Entries Near bustle
Cite this Entry
“Bustle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bustle. Accessed 11 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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