rattle

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: rat=tle

CIDE DICTIONARY

rattle, v. i. [Akin to D. ratelen, G. rasseln, AS. hrætele a rattle, in hrætelwyrt rattlewort; cf. Gr. kradai`nein to swing, wave. Cf. Rail a bird.].

•  To make a quick succession of sharp, inharmonious noises, as by the collision of hard and not very sonorous bodies shaken together; to clatter.  [1913 Webster]

  "And the rude hail in rattling tempest forms."  [1913 Webster]

  "'T was but the wind,
  Or the car rattling o'er the stony street."  [1913 Webster]
•  To drive or ride briskly, so as to make a clattering; as, we rattled along for a couple of miles.  [1913 Webster]
•  To make a clatter with the voice; to talk rapidly and idly; to clatter; -- with on or away; as, she rattled on for an hour.  [1913 Webster]

rattle, v. t. 

•  To cause to make a rattling or clattering sound; as, to rattle a chain.  [1913 Webster]
•  To assail, annoy, or stun with a rattling noise.  [1913 Webster]

  "Sound but another [drum], and another shall
  As loud as thine rattle the welkin's ear."  [1913 Webster]
•  Hence, to disconcert; to confuse; as, to rattle one's judgment; to rattle a player in a game.  [1913 Webster]
•  To scold; to rail at.  L'Estrange.  [1913 Webster]

To rattle off. (a) To tell glibly or noisily; as, to rattle off a story. (b) To rail at; to scold. “She would sometimes rattle off her servants sharply.” Arbuthnot.

rattle, n. 

•  A rapid succession of sharp, clattering sounds; as, the rattle of a drum.  Prior.  [1913 Webster]
•  Noisy, rapid talk.  [1913 Webster]

  "All this ado about the golden age is but an empty rattle and frivolous conceit."  [1913 Webster]
•  An instrument with which a rattling sound is made; especially, a child's toy that rattles when shaken.  [1913 Webster]

  "The rattles of Isis and the cymbals of Brasilea nearly enough resemble each other."  [1913 Webster]

  "Pleased with a rattle, tickled with a straw."  [1913 Webster]
•  A noisy, senseless talker; a jabberer.  [1913 Webster]

  "It may seem strange that a man who wrote with so much perspicuity, vivacity, and grace, should have been, whenever he took a part in conversation, an empty, noisy, blundering rattle."  [1913 Webster]
•  A scolding; a sharp rebuke.  Heylin.  [1913 Webster]
•  Any organ of an animal having a structure adapted to produce a rattling sound.  [1913 Webster]

  " The rattle of a rattlesnake is composed of the hardened terminal scales, loosened in succession, but not cast off, and so modified in form as to make a series of loose, hollow joints."  [1913 Webster]
•  The noise in the throat produced by the air in passing through mucus which the lungs are unable to expel; -- chiefly observable at the approach of death, when it is called the death rattle. See R.  [1913 Webster]

To spring a rattle, to cause it to sound. -- Yellow rattle (Bot.), a yellow-flowered herb (Rhinanthus Crista-galli), the ripe seeds of which rattle in the inflated calyx.

OXFORD DICTIONARY

rattle, v. & n.
--v.
1 a intr. give out a rapid succession of short sharp hard sounds. b tr. make (a chair, window, crockery, etc.) do this. c intr. cause such sounds by shaking something (rattled at the door).
2 a intr. move with a rattling noise. b intr. drive a vehicle or ride or run briskly. c tr. cause to move quickly (the bill was rattled through Parliament).
3 a tr. (usu. foll. by off) say or recite rapidly. b intr. (usu. foll. by on) talk in a lively thoughtless way.
4 tr. colloq. disconcert, alarm, fluster, make nervous, frighten.
--n.
1 a rattling sound.
2 an instrument or plaything made to rattle esp. in order to amuse babies or to give an alarm.
3 the set of horny rings in a rattlesnake's tail.
4 a plant with seeds that rattle in their cases when ripe (red rattle; yellow rattle).
5 uproar, bustle, noisy gaiety, racket.
6 a a noisy flow of words. b empty chatter, trivial talk.
7 archaic a lively or thoughtless incessant talker.

Idiom

rattle the sabre threaten war.

Derivative

rattly adj.

Etymology

ME, prob. f. MDu. & LG ratelen (imit.)

THESAURUS

rattle

Bedlam let loose, Klaxon, abash, abate, addle, addle the wits, agitate, agreeable rattle, assault, attenuate, babble, babbler, ball up, battery, bear, bear upon, becloud, bedazzle, bedlam, befuddle, bells, bewilder, bicker, big talker, blab, blabber, blabberer, blast, blather, blatherer, blether, blunt, bobbery, boiler factory, boiler room, bones, boost, bother, bounce, brattle, brawl, brouhaha, buck, bug, bull, bull-roarer, bulldoze, bullshit, bump, bump against, bunt, butt, butt against, cackle, call off, castanets, catcall, celesta, charivari, chat, chatter, chatterbox, chatterer, cherry bomb, chime, chimes, chirm, clack, clacker, clacket, clamor, clangor, clap, clapper, clappers, clatter, clatter about, clitter, clitterclatter, cloud, clunter, commotion, confound, confuse, cracker, crackle, crackling, cram, cramp, crash cymbal, cricket, cripple, crowd, cymbals, damp, dampen, daze, dazzle, deaden, debilitate, devitalize, dig, din, discombobulate, discomfit, discompose, disconcert, discord, discountenance, disorganize, disorient, disquiet, distract, disturb, dither, donnybrook, drive, drivel, drool, drunken brawl, dull, dustup, elbow, electrify, embarrass, enervate, enfeeble, entangle, enumerate, eviscerate, exhaust, extenuate, faze, finger cymbals, firecracker, flap, flummox, flurry, fluster, flutter, fog, force, fracas, free-for-all, fuddle, fuss, gab, gabber, gabble, gabbler, gamelan, gas, gasbag, gibber, gibble-gabble, gibble-gabbler, glockenspiel, go on, goad, gong, gossip, great talker, gruel, gush, handbells, haver, hell broke loose, horn, hot-air artist, howl, hubbub, hue and cry, hullabaloo, hurtle, hustle, idiophone, idle chatterer, jab, jabber, jabberer, jam, jangle, jar, jaw, jay, jiggle, jog, joggle, jolt, jostle, jounce, lay low, list, loud noise, lyra, magpie, maraca, marimba, maze, metallophone, mist, mitigate, mix up, moider, moulin a paroles, muddle, natter, noise, noise and shouting, noisemaker, nudge, orchestral bells, outcry, palaver, pandemonium, patter, patterer, percussion, percussion instrument, percussions, percussive, perplex, perturb, piffle, pile drive, poke, pother, pour forth, prate, prater, prattle, prattler, press, prod, punch, push, put off, put out, racket, raise hell, ram, ram down, ramble, ramble on, rattle around, rattle on, rattlebones, rattlebox, rattletybang, rattling, recite, reduce, reel off, rhubarb, roar, rock, row, ruckle, ruckus, ruction, ruffle, rumble, rumpus, run, run against, run on, run through, sap, shake, shake up, shatter, shindy, shivaree, shock, shoulder, shove, siren, sizzler, snapper, snappers, soften up, speed, spout, spout off, stagger, steam whistle, stir, stress, talk away, talk nonsense, talk on, tam-tam, tamp, throw into confusion, thrust, thunder, thunderclap, ticktack, tintamarre, tintinnabula, tittle-tattle, tonitruone, triangle, trouble, tubular bells, tumult, twaddle, twattle, unbrace, undermine, unman, unnerve, unsettle, unstrengthen, unstring, uproar, upset, utter, vapor, vibes, vibraphone, vibrate, waffle, weaken, whistle, whizgig, whizzer, windbag, windjammer, word-slinger, xylophone, yak, yakkety-yak

ROGET THESAURUS

rattle

Loquacity

N loquacity, loquaciousness, talkativeness, garrulity, multiloquence, much speaking, jaw, gabble, jabber, chatter, prate, prattle, cackle, clack, twaddle, twattle, rattle, caquet, caquetterie, blabber, bavardage, bibble-babble, gibble-gabble, small talk, fluency, flippancy, volubility, flowing, tongue, flow of words, flux de bouche, flux de mots, copia verborum, cacoethes loquendi, furor loquendi, verbosity, gift of the gab, talker, chatterer, chatterbox, babbler, rattle, ranter, sermonizer, proser, driveler, blatherskite, gossip, magpie, jay, parrot, poll, Babel, moulin a paroles, loquacious, talkative, garrulous, linguacious, multiloquous, largiloquent, chattering, chatty, declamatory, open-mouthed, fluent, voluble, glib, flippant, long tongued, long winded, trippingly on the tongue, glibly, off the reel, the tongue running fast, the tongue running loose, the tongue running on wheels, all talk and no cider, foul whisperings are abroad, what a spendthrift is he of his tongue!, loquacity, loquaciousness, talkativeness, garrulity, multiloquence, much speaking, jaw, gabble, jabber, chatter, prate, prattle, cackle, clack, twaddle, twattle, rattle, caquet, caquetterie, blabber, bavardage, bibble-babble, gibble-gabble, small talk, fluency, flippancy, volubility, flowing, tongue, flow of words, flux de bouche, flux de mots, copia verborum, cacoethes loquendi, furor loquendi, verbosity, gift of the gab, talker, chatterer, chatterbox, babbler, rattle, ranter, sermonizer, proser, driveler, blatherskite, gossip, magpie, jay, parrot, poll, Babel, moulin a paroles, loquacious, talkative, garrulous, linguacious, multiloquous, largiloquent, chattering, chatty, declamatory, open-mouthed, fluent, voluble, glib, flippant, long tongued, long winded, trippingly on the tongue, glibly, off the reel, the tongue running fast, the tongue running loose, the tongue running on wheels, all talk and no cider, foul whisperings are abroad, what a spendthrift is he of his tongue!.

VB be loquacious, talk glibly, pour forth, patter, prate, palaver, prose, chatter, prattle, clack, jabber, jaw, blather, blatter, blether, rattle, rattle on, twaddle, twattle, babble, gabble, outtalk, talk oneself out of breath, talk oneself hoarse, expatiate, gossip, din in the ears, talk at random, talk nonsense, be hoarse with talking.

Roll

VB roll, drum, rumble, rattle, clatter, patter, clack, bombinate, hum, trill, shake, chime, peal, toll, tick, beat, drum in the ear, din in the ear.

Musical Instruments

N musical instruments, band, string-band, brass-band, orchestra, orchestrina, monochord, polychord, harp, lyre, lute, archlute, mandola, mandolin, mandoline, guitar, zither, cither, cithern, gittern, rebeck, bandurria, bandura, banjo, bina, vina, xanorphica, viol, violin, fiddle, kit, viola, viola d'amore, viola di gamba, tenor, cremona, violoncello, bass, bass viol, base viol, theorbo, double base, contrabasso, violone, psaltery, bow, fiddlestick, piano, pianoforte, harpsichord, clavichord, clarichord, manichord, clavier, spinet, virginals, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, vielle, pianino, Eolian harp, organ, harmonium, harmoniphon, American organ, barrel organ, hand organ, accordion, seraphina, concertina, humming top, flute, fife, piccolo, flageolet, clarinet, claronet, basset horn, corno di bassetto, oboe, hautboy, cor Anglais, corno Inglese, bassoon, double bassoon, contrafagotto, serpent, bass clarinet, bagpipes, union pipes, musette, ocarina, Pandean pipes, reed instrument, sirene, pipe, pitch-pipe, sourdet, whistle, catcall, doodlesack, harmoniphone, horn, bugle, cornet, cornet-a-pistons, cornopean, clarion, trumpet, trombone, ophicleide, French horn, saxophone, sax, buglehorn, saxhorn, flugelhorn, althorn, helicanhorn, posthorn, sackbut, euphonium, bombardon tuba, cymbal, bell, gong, tambour, tambourine, tamborine, drum, tom-tom, tabor, tabret, tabourine, taborin, side drum, kettle drum, timpani, tympani, tymbal, timbrel, castanet, bones, musical glasses, musical stones, harmonica, sounding-board, rattle, tam-tam, zambomba, reed, tuning fork, triangle, Jew's harp, musical box, harmonicon, xylophone, sordine, sordet, sourdine, sourdet, mute, (iv) PERCEPTION OF SOUND.