rustle

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)
• HYPHEN: rus=tle

CIDE DICTIONARY

rustle, v. i. [AS. hristlan to rustle; or cf. Sw. rusta to stir, make a riot, or E. rush, v.].

•  To make a quick succession of small sounds, like the rubbing or moving of silk cloth or dry leaves.  [1913 Webster]

  "He is coming; I hear his straw rustle."  [1913 Webster]

  "Prouder than rustling in unpaid-for silk."  [1913 Webster]
•  To stir about energetically; to strive to succeed; to bustle about.  [1913 Webster]
•  To steal; -- used of livestock and esp. of cattle.  [PJC]

To rustle up To gather or find by searching; as, to rustle up some food for supper.

rustle, v. t. 

 To cause to rustle; as, the wind rustles the leaves.  [1913 Webster]

rustle, n. 

 A quick succession or confusion of small sounds, like those made by shaking leaves or straw, by rubbing silk, or the like; a rustling.  [1913 Webster]
"When the noise of a torrent, the rustle of a wood, the song of birds, or the play of lambs, had power to fill the attention, and suspend all perception of the course of time."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

rustle, v. & n.
--v.
1 intr. & tr. make or cause to make a gentle sound as of dry leaves blown in a breeze.
2 intr. (often foll. by along etc.) move with a rustling sound.
3 tr. (also absol.) steal (cattle or horses).
4 intr. US colloq. hustle.
--n. a rustling sound or movement.

Idiom

rustle up colloq. produce quickly when needed.

Derivative

rustler n. (esp. in sense 3 of v.).

Etymology

ME rustel etc. (imit.): cf. obs. Flem. ruysselen, Du. ritselen

THESAURUS

rustle

abstract, and, annex, appropriate, bag, boost, borrow, celerity, cop, crib, crinkle, defraud, dispatch, embezzle, expedition, expeditiousness, extort, filch, froufrou, hook, hurry, hustle, lift, make off with, nip, palm, pilfer, pinch, poach, purloin, run away with, rustling, scrounge, shoplift, sibilance, sibilate, sibilation, snare, snatch, snitch, speed, speediness, steal, susurrate, susurration, susurrus, swiftness, swindle, swipe, swish, swishing, take, thieve, walk off with, whish, whisper, whispering

ROGET THESAURUS

rustle

Sibilation

VB hiss, buzz, whiz, rustle, fizz, fizzle, wheeze, whistle, snuffle, squash, sneeze, sizzle, swish.