I. hus ‧ tle 1 /ˈhʌs ə l/ BrE AmE verb ( past tense and past participle hustled , present participle hustling )
[ Date: 1600-1700 ; Language: Dutch ; Origin: husselen 'to shake' ]
1 . [transitive] to make someone move quickly, especially by pushing them roughly
hustle somebody into/out of/through etc something
I was hustled out of the building by a couple of security men.
hustle somebody away
He was hustled away by police officers.
2 . [intransitive] American English to do something with a lot of energy and determination:
Cindy’s not a great player, but she really hustles.
3 . [intransitive] American English to hurry in doing something or going somewhere:
We need to hustle if we’re going to make this flight.
4 . [intransitive and transitive] American English to sell or obtain things in an illegal or dishonest way:
thieves hustling stolen goods on the street
5 . [intransitive] American English informal to work as a ↑ prostitute , or to be in charge of prostitutes
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THESAURUS
▪ rush to move very quickly, especially because you need to be somewhere soon:
He was rushing out of his office in order to go to a meeting.
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There’s no need to rush - we have plenty of time.
▪ hurry to do something or go somewhere more quickly than usual, especially because there is not much time:
People hurried into stores to escape the rain.
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You ll have to hurry or we 'll be late for breakfast
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I hurried through the rest of my workout and showered as quickly as I could.
▪ race to go somewhere as fast as you can:
She raced downstairs to tell her mother.
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He raced back to his car and called for help.
▪ tear to run very quickly and without really looking where you are going, because you are in a hurry:
I saw two boys tearing across the field towards the tree.
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He tore down the stairs and out of the house.
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They tore out of the building.
▪ dash to run somewhere very fast, especially only a short distance:
Bob dashed across the road to his friend’s house.
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Her heart was pumping furiously as she dashed through the kitchen to the front door.
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I dashed outside to try to rescue the unfortunate creature.
▪ hustle American English informal to hurry when you are doing something or going somewhere:
You better hustle or you’re going to miss the school bus.
▪ hasten literary to hurry somewhere, especially because you need to do something:
Suddenly frightened, she hastened back to where her friends were standing.
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She took a deep breath and then hastened after him.
II. hustle 2 BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
1 . busy and noisy activity:
the hustle and bustle of the market place
2 . American English ways of getting money that involve cheating or deceiving people
3 . American English when someone does something quickly, with a lot of effort and eagerness:
The team has a lot of talent but no hustle.