as in scams
an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value
a clever hustle that tricked people into revealing their bank account information
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
1
as in struggles
to devote serious and sustained effort
everyone really hustled to get the project finished on schedule
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in hurries
to proceed or move quickly
we'd better hustle, or we'll miss the train
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in squeezes
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
a swindler who hustled cashiers by getting them all confused while they were making change
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of hustles
Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Cuban may be worth billions today, but his career started with small-time hustles.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
Side hustles also encourage better time management and focus.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The holiday season brings out dozens of holiday-specific hustles, from wrapping packages and running errands to hanging lights or serving appetizers and drinks at Christmas and Hanukkah parties.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025
Vera Bradley Featherweight Belt Bag Lightweight and versatile enough to go with your travel capsule wardrobe, the Vera Bradley belt bag keeps your must-haves close without weighing you down—perfect for airport hustles, sightseeing days, or errand runs between trips.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2025
In the modern day, more than 50% of young Americans have side-hustles, many of which manifest as artistic pursuits that fulfill their creative passions.
—William Jones, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
Compared to the behemoth Acela, which hustles hundreds of thousands of riders between Boston, New York City, and Washington DC each month, Amtrak's Mardi Gras line is downright petite—just two 58-seat coaches, plus a café car and a 14-seat Business Class car.
—Kara Newman, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026
Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
The pair goes out and hustles other players with a cunning ruse that relies on the era’s racial and ethnic divisions.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
The film keeps pace through toe-curlingly tense table tennis face-offs, high-stakes hustles, and a jaw-dropping scene involving a bathtub that honestly puts Saltburn to shame.
—Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025
Families looking for the perfect holiday card shot drive photography hustles in November.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025
Sylvie hustles out of the party and, presumably, out of Yvette’s life forever.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Monica hustles around all day to cook the perfect meal, which is inevitably ruined (a recurring theme in these holiday episodes).
—Gretchen Hansen, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025
Noun
Cipriani had other hustles, too, including time spent in construction and the wholesale soft-pretzel distribution business.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 2 Apr. 2026
Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026
Cuban may be worth billions today, but his career started with small-time hustles.
—Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026
Side hustles also encourage better time management and focus.
—Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026
The holiday season brings out dozens of holiday-specific hustles, from wrapping packages and running errands to hanging lights or serving appetizers and drinks at Christmas and Hanukkah parties.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025
Vera Bradley Featherweight Belt Bag Lightweight and versatile enough to go with your travel capsule wardrobe, the Vera Bradley belt bag keeps your must-haves close without weighing you down—perfect for airport hustles, sightseeing days, or errand runs between trips.
—Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2025
In the modern day, more than 50% of young Americans have side-hustles, many of which manifest as artistic pursuits that fulfill their creative passions.
—William Jones, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
In games like Tuesday, when that deep postseason run seems realistic, UCLA pops the ball around on offense and communicates and hustles to overcome its deficiencies on defense.
—Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026
Compared to the behemoth Acela, which hustles hundreds of thousands of riders between Boston, New York City, and Washington DC each month, Amtrak's Mardi Gras line is downright petite—just two 58-seat coaches, plus a café car and a 14-seat Business Class car.
—Kara Newman, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026
Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds.
—John Hollinger, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
The pair goes out and hustles other players with a cunning ruse that relies on the era’s racial and ethnic divisions.
—Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025
The film keeps pace through toe-curlingly tense table tennis face-offs, high-stakes hustles, and a jaw-dropping scene involving a bathtub that honestly puts Saltburn to shame.
—Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025
Families looking for the perfect holiday card shot drive photography hustles in November.
—Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025
Sylvie hustles out of the party and, presumably, out of Yvette’s life forever.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 19 Dec. 2025
Monica hustles around all day to cook the perfect meal, which is inevitably ruined (a recurring theme in these holiday episodes).
—Gretchen Hansen, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for hustles
Noun
-
On March 24, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to approve a proposal by Chair Terra Lawson-Remer to create the Consumer Fairness and Public Protection Unit, charged with fighting scams and unfair business practices.—
Adam Summers,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Unlike other crimes that use hacking or social engineering scams to access victims’ funds remotely, wrench attacks rely on more brutish methods of coercion like kidnapping and torture.—
Megan Cassidy,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Most important for companies considering replacing patches of their workforce with AI, the MIT data suggests AI struggles to perform more complicated tasks.—
Tristan Bove,
Fortune,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Peet plays a therapist who struggles with her own mental health and the health and familial changes that occur during midlife.—
Alexa Mikhail,
Flow Space,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Nix almost always hurries his throws when a blitz comes Harvey’s way, regardless of whether the rookie RB picks it up capably or not.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The pencil-thin DQ Tower squeezes a full home into a very slender footprint, while the EONE XL takes a wider prefab approach to the same basic challenge.—
Stefan Ionescu
March 30,
New Atlas,
30 Mar. 2026
-
There’s no end to the war in sight after one month as Iran squeezes the global economy.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
29 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
In a world of jaded billionaires, psychiatrist-gurus, bio-hacked tech bros, AI labs and disillusioned teens being optimized in elite private schools, an audacious data-mining CEO (Magnussen) strives to turn insight and influence into profit and power.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Castlery is a direct-to-consumer furniture brand that strives to offer high-end and well-made yet fairly affordable furniture, and the Desmond chair is a testament to that.—
Kate McGregor,
Architectural Digest,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The way Radcliffe scurries out of his chair and into the green room to meet Liu illustrates her visceral impact.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
11 Mar. 2026
-
Bridgerton fans can spot the Old Royal Naval College mostly throughout season 2, like when a paperboy scurries across the grounds to deliver the latest gossip from Lady Whistledown in the first episode.—
Kayla Keegan,
PEOPLE,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
But if Rick later plucks something from behind that rock at the fire, are others going to start poking around looking for stuff?—
Dalton Ross,
Entertainment Weekly,
5 Mar. 2026
-
The first layer, called the Level-1 Trigger, or L1T, harvests 100,000 events per second, and the second layer, called the High-Level Trigger, or HLT, plucks 1,000 of those events to save for later analysis.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.—
Tim Dunn,
Boston Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Hustles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hustles. Accessed 7 Apr. 2026.
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