verb
hustle
HUH-suhl
verb
1
To push, shove, or move someone quickly and often roughly.
"Security hustled the protester out of the building."
2
To work hard and energetically, especially to earn money.
"She's been hustling all year to grow her small business."
"He hustles as a freelance photographer on weekends."
3
To con or swindle someone, especially in a game or deal.
"The pool shark hustled tourists out of their cash."
noun
1
Determined effort and energetic activity, especially toward earning money.
"You need real hustle to succeed as a startup founder."
2
A dishonest scheme; a scam.
"The whole investment turned out to be a hustle."
How to Use Hustle
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo work hard and energetically (especially to earn money), or to push/shove someone, or to run a scam.
When to use it
"Hustle" as in "grind culture" or "side hustle" is informal, modern business slang.
Common pairings
side hustle
hustle and bustle
have hustle
hustle someone out of money
Word Forms
hustled past tense, hustles plural, hustles singular
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Security _____ the protester out of the building.
Etymology
From Dutch husselen, meaning "to shake up" — the sense of pushing and jostling came first, and the modern "work hard" meaning developed later in American English.