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bustle

[buhs-uhl]

Example Sentences Origin

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verb (used without object)

to move or act with a great show of energy (often followed by about): He bustled about cooking breakfast.

to abound or teem with something; display an abundance of something; teem (often followed by with): The office bustled with people and activity.

verb (used with object)

to cause to bustle; hustle.

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Bustle is one of our favorite verbs.

So is lollygag. Does it mean:

to spend time idly; loaf.

to expurgate (a written work) by removing or modifying passages considered vulgar or objectionable.

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noun

thriving or energetic activity; stir; ferment.

Origin:
1615–25; Middle English bustelen to hurry aimlessly along, perhaps akin to Old Norse busla to splash about, bustle

Related forms

bus·tler, noun

bus·tling·ly, adverb

un·bus·tling, adjective

Synonyms
4. ado, flurry, agitation, fuss.

Example Sentences

There was not the activity and the bustle which followed, the fire.

But the terrace does have some features that might take students away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Activists bustle backwards and forwards brandishing sheaves of paper.

EXPAND

There was not the activity and the bustle which followed, the fire.

But the terrace does have some features that might take students away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Activists bustle backwards and forwards brandishing sheaves of paper.

Cities around the world cut pollution while restoring human bustle downtown.

It was a huge treat to visit him at the battered newsroom with all the hustle and bustle.

Viewed from the bustle of the press pit, the flow of talent was curious.

Planners have long been keen to use parks to keep the city at bay, to provide a retreat from urban bustle.

Tripoli exudes far more bustle and optimism than a year ago.

Servers bustle from table to table, bringing more and more dishes, opening more and more bottles.

Amish farms and picturesque forests offer a break from the bustle.

The bell rings, and the students bustle into the well-worn hallways of their middle school.

It is so quiet there, such an absence of excitement or bustle.

The children seem more acclimated than the parents, and the apartment has a cozy, welcoming bustle to it.

The hype on touristic topspots can easily match with the hustle and bustle of any big western city.

But no one likes the traffic, the crowds, the sudden infusion of citified bustle and self-importance.

On a stressful business trip, a hotel room can be a sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of the work day.

Hustle and bustle but ultimately nothing to remember.

But even there chatter and bustle so often spoiled the atmosphere.

Skilled at their craft, neurotic shoppers may thrive in the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, he adds.

Another problem was the sheer collective bustle of such a large group.

Early morning on the beach, before the bustle of the day takes over.

Cities around the world find that car-free zones can cut pollution, while restoring human bustle as the prime.

Instead of finding a better life there he finds himself surrounded by grayness, uncaring bustle and society's grime.

Escape from the hustle and bustle of the city with a trip to one of these beautiful urban parks.

Enter this gated retreat above the bustle of the valley and be transported to a place of tranquility and privacy.

COLLAPSE

Dictionary.com Unabridged

noun

fullness around or below the waist of a dress, as added by a peplum, bows, ruffles, etc.

a pad, cushion, or framework formerly worn under the back of a woman's skirt to expand, support, and display the full cut and drape of a dress.

Origin:
1780–90; origin uncertain

Related forms

bus·tled, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To bustle

Collins

World English Dictionary

bustle¹ (ˈbʌs^əl)

—vb (when intr, often foll by about)
1.	to hurry or cause to hurry with a great show of energy or activity

—n
2.	energetic and noisy activity

[C16: probably from obsolete buskle to make energetic preparation, from dialect busk from Old Norse būask to prepare]

'bustler¹

—n

'bustling¹

—*adj*

bustle² (ˈbʌs^əl)

—n
	a cushion or a metal or whalebone framework worn by women in the late 19th century at the back below the waist in order to expand the skirt

[C18: of unknown origin]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

bustle

"be active," mid-14c., frequentative of M.E. bresten "to rush, break," from O.E. bersten (see burst), influenced by O.N. buask "to make oneself ready" (see busk (v.)), or directly from busk as a frequentative form. The noun is first attested 1620s. Bustling, of a place, is first recorded 1880.

EXPAND

bustle

"padding in a skirt," 1788, perhaps from Ger. Buschel "bunch, pad," or may be a special use of bustle (1) with ref. to "rustling motion."

COLLAPSE

Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia

bustle

item of feminine apparel for pushing out the skirt in back just below the waist; although used at various times since the 14th century, it was first known under this name in the 19th century. The specific fashion for the bustle, or tournure, came between 1865 and 1876 and again in the 1880s. It followed the decline of the crinoline (q.v.) and began as a bunching up of material behind the waist but became a wire cage attached to the petticoat, sticking out backward like a shelf, over which the dress material was draped.

Learn more about bustle with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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fossick hurry hurry-scurry

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Matching Quote

"Hetty [Burney's sister] set down to the harpsichord and sung ... we departed this life of anguish and misery, and rested our weary souls in the Elysian field—my papa's study—there, freed from the noise and bustle of the world enjoyed the harmony of chattering—and the melody of music!"

-Frances Burney

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