noun

rustle

RUH-suhl

noun

A soft, dry crackling sound, like leaves or paper moving.

"She heard a rustle in the bushes and froze."

"The only sound was the rustle of the wind through the wheat field."

verb

To make or move with this soft crackling sound.

"The pages rustled as the wind blew through the open window."

To steal livestock, especially cattle.

"The gang was caught trying to rustle cattle from the neighboring ranch."

How to Use Rustle

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA soft crackly sound like dry leaves, or (informally) stealing cattle.

Common mistake

"Rustle up" (as in "rustle up some dinner") means to quickly gather or prepare something — a separate idiom from the sound or the cattle theft.

Common pairings

rustle of leaves rustle up cattle rustling

rustled past tense, rustles plural, rustles singular

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Can you complete this real example?

She heard a _____ in the bushes and froze.

From Middle English rustelen, likely echoing the sound itself — a word built to imitate the noise it describes.

bustle hustle