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Definition of "bustle" []

  • To move or cause to move energetically and busily. (verb-transitive)
  • Excited and often noisy activity; a stir. (noun)
  • A frame or pad to support and expand the fullness of the back of a woman's skirt. (noun)
  • A bow, peplum, or gathering of material at the back of a woman's skirt below the waist. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "bustle" in a sentence
  • "As the last melodies faded away, I heard a bustle from the doorway."
  • "All hurry or bustle is peculiarly painful to the sick."
  • "It is true, the populace retained themselves; but there arose a perpetual hum and bustle from the throng round the palace, which added to the noise of fireworks, the frequent explosion of arms, the tramp to and fro of horsemen and carriages, to which effervescence he was the focus, retarded his recovery."