bustle

CEFRC1

/ˈbʌsəl/

verb · noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    verb

    To move energetically or make a place busy with activity.

  2. 02

    noun

    Busy and noisy activity.

Examples

  • Only my seat is cut off from that bustle.

  • The commuters bustled about inside the train station.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
2
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

verb

Extra meanings
  1. A cover to protect and hide the back panel of a computer or other office machine.

  2. A frame worn underneath a woman's skirt, typically only protruding from the rear as opposed to the earlier more circular hoops.

noun

Extra meaning
  1. An excited activity; a stir.

More examples

In context
  • The train station was bustling with commuters.

  • the whirl and bustle of a large metropolis

  • Bustle up, you boys!

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

The morning blank of the city made it hard to walk slowly on the sidewalk.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

verb

From Middle English bustlen, bustelen, bostlen, perhaps an alteration of *busklen (> Modern English buskle), a frequentative of Middle English busken (“to prepare; make ready”), from Old Norse búask (“to prepare oneself”); or alternatively from a frequentative form of Middle English busten, bisten (“to buffet; pummel; dash; beat”) + -le. Compare also Icelandic bustla (“to splash; bustle”).