hustle

The word “hustle” means to push, shove, or move someone quickly and often roughly. In plain terms, to work hard and energetically (especially to earn money), or to push/shove someone, or to run a scam.

“Hustle” is pronounced HUH-suhl (/ˈhʌsəl/ in IPA).

Here is “hustle” used in a sentence: “Security hustled the protester out of the building.”

Words with a similar meaning to “hustle” include make tracks, swindle and turn tricks.

Depending on how it is used, “hustle” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “hustle” comes from Dutch. 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.

“Hustle” is an uncommon word in modern English.

“Hustle” has 5 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to push, shove, or move someone quickly and often roughly.

"Hustle" as a verb can mean either to work hard and energetically to earn money or to con someone in a deal, while "swindle" refers only to the dishonest sense of cheating someone. So "hustle" is broader and context-dependent, covering both legitimate hard work and deceptive schemes.

No. "Hustle" has a positive, widely used sense meaning determined effort and energetic activity toward earning money, such as having a "side hustle." Only its other sense, involving conning or swindling someone, carries a negative, dishonest connotation.

To "hustle" someone in this sense means to push, shove, or move them quickly and often roughly, which is a distinct meaning from the money-earning or swindling senses of the word. This physical sense is common in descriptions of someone being forced along quickly, such as being hustled out of a building.

Yes, "hustle" functions as a verb (to work hard, to con, or to physically push someone) and as a noun describing either energetic effort toward earning money or a dishonest scheme. The correct sense usually depends on surrounding context.