Synonyms of rustling

rustling 1 of 2

noun

as in poaching

Related Words

• poaching
• looting
• smuggling
• rapine
• plundering
• pillage
• kidnapping
• abduction
• spoliation
• despoliation
• hijacking
• pilfering
• banditry
• piracy
• carjacking
• despoilment
• shoplifting
• black marketeering
• stealing
• petit larceny
• pilferage
• embezzlement
• filching
• petty larceny
• graft
• shanghaiing
• robbery
• purloining
• burglary
• misappropriation
• larceny
• peculation
• embezzling
• thievery
• misapplication
• theft
• housebreaking

rustling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of rustle

1

as in grazing

to feed on grass or herbs

just take the steer out to pasture and let it rustle for itself

Synonyms & Similar Words

• grazing
• foraging
• browsing
• pasturing
• feeding
• eating
• nibbling
• stocking
• ranging
• overgrazing

2

as in scurrying

to proceed or move quickly

rustled around enthusiastically on the morning of the big trip

Synonyms & Similar Words

• scurrying
• hurrying
• rushing
• speeding
• trotting
• flying
• zipping
• traveling
• racing
• driving
• buzzing
• chasing
• jumping
• darting
• running
• blowing
• scuttling
• scooting
• tearing
• dashing
• whirling
• stepping
• ripping
• bolting
• blasting
• zooming
• blazing
• hustling
• bustling
• shooting
• jogging
• hastening
• pelting
• ramming
• hurling
• whisking
• breezing
• nipping
• belting
• barreling
• humping
• bundling
• galloping
• hurtling
• bowling
• careering
• haring
• cracking (on)
• coursing
• motoring
• careening
• rocketing
• jetting
• flitting
• hying
• beating it
• scuffling
• highballing
• scampering
• bombing
• cannonballing
• scudding
• stepping on it
• hotfooting (it)
• making tracks
• stampeding
• whizzing
• shaking a leg
• getting a move on
• sprinting
• accelerating
• streaking
• beetling
• quickening
• overtaking
• outrunning
• stepping out
• outstripping
• outpacing
• catching up
• arrowing
• beelining
• fast-forwarding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• creeping
• crawling
• lingering
• poking
• dragging
• hanging (around or out)
• shuffling
• poking
• loitering
• lagging
• strolling
• dawdling
• sauntering
• ambling
• dallying
• lumbering
• plodding
• tarrying
• slowing (down or up)
• decelerating
• dillydallying

3

as in crackling

to make small sounds usually by rubbing or moving

my pet peeve is candy wrappers rustling during a movie

Synonyms & Similar Words

• crackling
• whispering
• squeaking
• crinkling
• creaking
• sighing
• murmuring
• gurgling
• swooshing
• crepitating
• whooshing
• babbling

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of rustling

Noun

After a few silent minutes at the now-still Locomotive Springs, there is a rustling. — Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Sep. 2026

Upon arrival, the constant chime of notifications stops, replaced by the sounds of Gulf waves, the rustling of marsh grasses, and the calls of shorebirds. — Gabi De La Rosa, Southern Living, 19 May 2026

From the anti-Trump side, meanwhile, the American people hear a nervous rustling of vague doubts. — David Frum, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026

In the teaser, above, Joanna, 47, can be seen speaking on-camera discussing the plans for the construction of the home on the balcony before a rustling can be heard coming from the woods behind her. — Kimberlee Speakman, PEOPLE, 27 Nov. 2025

The soft rustling of the tent flaps and the occasional distant dog barking underscored our vigil. — Literary Hub, 13 Nov. 2025

But most exciting was any sudden splash, or a strange, distant cry, or a mysterious rustling in the thick shore brush. — Ryan Knighton, AFAR Media, 31 Oct. 2025

Great gray owls hunt blind, flying low, listening to the faintest rustling of a mouse beneath snow. — Kate Siber, Outside, 21 Oct. 2025

The dense canopy of trees, the rustling of leaves, and the interplay of light and shadow that evoke mood and emotions. — Felicity Carter, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025

Verb

That 7dBA output is practically inaudible—quieter than rustling leaves (around 20dBA) and well below the 25dBA to 30dBA ambient floor of a quiet library or nighttime bedroom. — Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 1 Oct. 2026

The brief social media clip features Gizmo rustling around inside a backpack in an indiscernible location. — Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 24 Sep. 2026

The tree still stood, waiting, but no one visited, no one entered the world under her strong branches, her rustling leaves. — Literary Hub, 11 Sep. 2026

Guests love the serene jungle setting with sweet birdsong in the background and a gentle wind rustling through the trees. — Jasreen Mayal Khanna, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Sep. 2026

And the only hint of rain comes from the sound of wind rustling cactus spines, trickle trickle trickle. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 13 Aug. 2026

Crack open the windows (but not too far), let the sound of cicadas lull you into a false sense of security, and try not to pay attention to whatever’s rustling in the darkness beyond the trees. — Alaina Urquhart, PEOPLE, 11 Aug. 2026

Imagine two prehistoric humans hearing rustling in the bushes. — Alejandro Cárdenas Villa, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026

Around a bend, yellow wildflowers pop out of the underbrush, where curious deer and rustling ground squirrels (squinnies to this Iowan) startle. — Diane Penningroth, Midwest Living, 12 June 2026