ru
stle
Third Person
rustles
Present Participle
rustling
Past Tense
rustled
Past Participle
rustled
1
to create a gentle, crackling sound, similar to dry leaves or paper moving
- The pages of the old book rustled as it was turned.
- The dry grass rustled beneath the footsteps of the hiker.
- The autumn leaves rustled underfoot as people walked through the park.
- The paper bag rustled as he searched for a snack.
- The mice in the attic could be heard rustling in the night.
2
to gather and take away cattle, horses, or sheep, typically illegally
transitive
- The group was caught trying to rustle cattle from the neighboring ranch.
- Legends spoke of bandits who would rustle horses under the cover of night.
- They planned to rustle sheep from the farmer’s pasture for their own profit.
- He was known to rustle livestock, leading to tensions in the community.
- She was horrified to discover that someone had rustled her prized horses.
Synonyms:
3
to search for and gather food, especially from natural sources
- The deer rustled through the underbrush in search of berries and leaves.
- She learned to rustle for edible plants during her survival training.
- The birds rustled among the fallen leaves, looking for seeds.
- As the storm passed, animals began to rustle for food that had been washed away.
- She would often rustle in the garden for ripe tomatoes and peppers.