rustling 1 of 2

Definition of rustlingnext

rustling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of rustle
1
as in grazing
to feed on grass or herbs just take the steer out to pasture and let it rustle for itself

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
3
as in crackling
to make small sounds usually by rubbing or moving my pet peeve is candy wrappers rustling during a movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of rustling
Noun
From the anti-Trump side, meanwhile, the American people hear a nervous rustling of vague doubts. David Frum, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026 In the teaser, above, Joanna, 47, can be seen speaking on-camera discussing the plans for the construction of the home on the balcony before a rustling can be heard coming from the woods behind her. Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025 The soft rustling of the tent flaps and the occasional distant dog barking underscored our vigil. Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025 But most exciting was any sudden splash, or a strange, distant cry, or a mysterious rustling in the thick shore brush. Ryan Knighton, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025 Great gray owls hunt blind, flying low, listening to the faintest rustling of a mouse beneath snow. Kate Siber, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025 The dense canopy of trees, the rustling of leaves, and the interplay of light and shadow that evoke mood and emotions. Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
Instead, attendees showed each other support by rustling their signs. Ilana Arougheti, Kansas City Star, 3 Mar. 2026 Maybe light or noise filters into your room, or your partner starts rustling or snoring around the same time early each morning. Erica Sloan, SELF, 24 Feb. 2026 Soon, though, the wall came alive—a colony of rustling and chirping, a frantic rodent argument. Literary Hub, 20 Feb. 2026 The mystery of the dead cows was never solved, but Skeet and three other men were arrested for cattle rustling. Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 21 Jan. 2026 This tranquil setting, with the sounds of the waves and palm trees rustling in the tropical breezes, sets the tone. Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 18 Jan. 2026 As such, its mass of untamed, scrubby green can today be traipsed through on foot or horseback, via ethereal blue coves such as Cala Marinella, the odd wandering fox and to the soothing rhythm of Aleppo pines rustling in the hot wind. Rosalyn Wikeley, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Jan. 2026 Thompson’s Anna Andrews initially appears as a frantic figure in a ratty hoodie, chugging wine from the bottle and rustling around an Atlanta apartment that is in an alarming state of disarray. Judy Berman, Time, 8 Jan. 2026 For extra comfort, the quilt is designed to be cool to the touch for hot sleepers, resist static to prevent that annoying clingy sensation, and reduce noise when rustling around. Mariana Best, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rustling
Noun
  • For wildlife-rich areas, a night tourism presence can also help prevent poaching.
    Stephanie Vermillion, Outside, 16 Mar. 2026
  • After six years back and forth in the courts, former The Newsroom writer John Musero’s suit against Creative Artists Agency over the alleged poaching of his Main Justice pilot script has taken a couple more dramatic turns and alleged blacklists on its way to trial this coming October.
    Dominic Patten, Deadline, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Keep your eyes peeled for wild horses grazing along the ridgelines.
    Karthika Gupta, Travel + Leisure, 11 Mar. 2026
  • In the background there are grazing topi, bounding Thomson's gazelles, and, far in the distance, a snoozing pride of lions.
    Tom Vanderbilt, Condé Nast Traveler, 10 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Iranian missiles have sent Israelis scurrying for shelters multiple times a day and night.
    ABC News, ABC News, 2 Mar. 2026
  • DeMar DeRozan just slammed a water bottle to the floor, sending several courtside attendants scurrying into action to mop up the mess.
    HECTOR AMEZCUA, Sacbee.com, 10 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Inside, crackling fires create inviting places to sip a bourbon cocktail.
    Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 12 Mar. 2026
  • In minutes a big fire was crackling.
    Elwyn "Bud" Myers, Outdoor Life, 11 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Christophe Garnier, the leader of Doctors Without Borders in South Sudan said the organization had to evacuate its staff from Akobo on Saturday and learned of the subsequent looting of its hospital and the ransacking of its office.
    ABC News, ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
  • Saleh Abu Alamah A statue of the Nubian god Apademak stands alone in the courtyard of Sudan’s National Museum, one of the few survivors of systematic looting amid a conflict that has developed into one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.
    Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 8 Mar. 2026
Verb
  • Instead of hurrying to break up tents and scatter RVs, Lee and Oakland’s interim homelessness chief Sasha Hauswald want city workers to focus on minimizing trash and human waste around encampments.
    Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026
  • Meza Gonzalez and David Christian, one of her attorneys, refused to answer questions from reporters about the plea agreement, hurrying down a flight of stairs at the Cadena-Reeves Justice Center.
    Megan Rodriguez, San Antonio Express-News, 27 Jan. 2026
Verb
  • The video showed Styles whispering something into Jordan’s ear.
    Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 9 Mar. 2026
  • In every part of the world, someone is whispering in the ear of someone else that justice is near and that the fight is upon them.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 5 Mar. 2026
Noun
  • Until then, smuggling weed had been a grand adventure, an escape from a society that had just thrown Prager’s generation into a meat grinder in Vietnam, a repudiation of the crooked politicians and backward preachers and greedy capitalists who were running the world.
    Jack Crosbie, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2026
  • That search warrant resulted from the Shelby Township Police Department's Special Investigations Unit following up on information about a multi-state, black-market smuggling operating out of a local home, the police report said.
    Paula Wethington, CBS News, 17 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Rustling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rustling. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.

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