hustle

hustle — verb

1. to work hard and energetically to achieve something, using your own ideas and no

1.verbintransitiveB2
Definition

to work hard and energetically to achieve something, using your own ideas and not giving up even when things are difficult

Example

Eve has been hustling all year to save enough for a deposit on an apartment.

hustling + to-infinitive

After losing his job, Mauricio hustled to find freelance work wherever he could.

hustled to find

Common collocations
  • hustle for business
  • hustle to make money
  • hustle every day
Synonyms
  • strive

    more formal; suggests aiming for a high goal with sustained, earnest effort

  • grind

    slang; implies tedious, repetitive hard work over a long period

  • push

    can overlap but lacks the energetic, self-starting feel of hustle

Antonyms
  • laze

    to relax or avoid effort

  • coast

    to make minimal effort

Grammar Patterns

hustle + to-infinitive

hustle + for + noun (money, business, clients)

Usage Note

Subject is usually a person working independently or in a competitive field (entrepreneurs, artists, freelancers). Less common for describing routine employment.

Common Mistakes

He hustled in the office from nine to five.
He hustled to grow his small business after hours.
'hustle' in this sense suggests self-directed, ambitious effort, not routine work.

2. to push or pull someone in a rough or hurried way to make them go faster or get

2.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to push or pull someone in a rough or hurried way to make them go faster or get somewhere sooner

Example

The security guards hustled the protesters out of the hall before the news crew arrived.

hustled + out of

Lan's mother hustled her into the car just as the rain began to pour down.

hustled + into

Common collocations
  • hustle someone out
  • hustle someone into
  • hustle someone through
  • hustle someone along
Synonyms
  • shove

    more physical and rough, without the sense of hurrying

  • bundle

    suggests moving someone quickly but often more gently, like bundling someone into a taxi

  • propel

    more formal; focuses on the forward motion rather than roughness

Antonyms
  • slow

    to reduce speed or delay movement

Grammar Patterns

hustle + object + adverb of direction (out, into, through)

Usage Note

Object is typically a person or group being moved against their will. Often used with a directional phrase such as out of, into, through, or along.

Common Mistakes

She hustled to the store before it closed.
She hurried to the store before it closed.
'hustle' as a transitive verb requires an object; to move oneself quickly, use 'hurry'.

3. to aggressively urge someone into a purchase or decision, sometimes through dish

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveB2
Definition

to aggressively urge someone into a purchase or decision, sometimes through dishonest or high-pressure methods

Example

Street vendors near the busy market tried to hustle tourists into buying fake designer bags.

hustle someone into buying

The salesman hustled Beatriz into signing a contract she had not fully read.

hustled into signing

Common collocations
  • hustle someone into buying
  • hustle goods
  • hustle on the street
Synonyms
  • pressure

    less specific to selling; can apply to any situation involving influence

  • con

    implies intentional deception, while hustle can just mean aggressive selling

  • push

    similar in meaning but less informal and less likely to imply dishonesty

Grammar Patterns

hustle + object + into + -ing

hustle + something + to + someone

Usage Note

Often implies pressure or deception. Can be used with an object (hustle someone into something) or without (they hustle on the street corner). Common in contexts of street sales and scams.

Common Mistakes

She hustled me to buy a car.
She hustled me into buying a car.
'hustle' in this sense requires 'into' + gerund, not a bare infinitive.

hustle — noun

Word family

  • hustler
    nounC1
  • hustling
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

While these words all describe putting in effort, hustle emphasizes energetic, self-motivated activity with a sense of urgency. Strive suggests aiming for a specific high goal with sustained, earnest effort. Grind (slang) implies tedious, repetitive hard work over a long period — often under difficult conditions. Toil suggests heavy physical labor that is tiring and exhausting. Push often means applying pressure on yourself to exceed your limits. For instance, a freelancer hustles to find new clients, a student strives to win a scholarship, a factory worker toils on an assembly line, and a marathon runner pushes through the final miles.

strive ↗grind ↗toilpush ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • hustle and bustle

Prepositions

Etymology

DutchEnglish

Hustle comes from early 17th-century Dutch 'husselen', meaning 'to shake or toss', related to 'hutsen' (to shake). It first entered English meaning 'to shake or jostle'. By the 1800s it had developed the sense of 'to push roughly' and 'to hurry'. In 19th-century American English, it took on the additional meaning of 'energetic activity' and 'aggressive self-promotion'. The noun sense of a dishonest scheme emerged in early 20th-century American slang.