HUSTLES Synonyms: 275 Similar and Opposite Words

hustles 1 of 2

noun

plural of hustle

as in scams

an instance of the use of dishonest methods to acquire something of value a clever hustle that tricked people into revealing their bank account information

Synonyms & Similar Words

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hustles

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of hustle

as in struggles

to devote serious and sustained effort everyone really hustled to get the project finished on schedule

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in hurries

to proceed or move quickly we'd better hustle, or we'll miss the train

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in squeezes

to rob by the use of trickery or threats a swindler who hustled cashiers by getting them all confused while they were making change

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of hustles

Noun

The area of law has always been ripe for fraud, but the hustles have evolved, getting more sophisticated in the past year. — Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026 Khy may be one of Jenner's many hustles, but motherhood is her greatest joy. — Michelle Lee, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026 Many of these statements seem more like ‘hustles’ or ‘pitches’ than attempts to speak thoughtfully about the future. — Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 9 Apr. 2026 Marty, who was loosely based on real-life ping-pong legend Marty Reisman, schemes his way to competitions across the globe and hustles for pocket cash. — Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 9 Mar. 2026 Cuban may be worth billions today, but his career started with small-time hustles. — Preston Fore, Fortune, 28 Jan. 2026 Side hustles also encourage better time management and focus. — Sho Dewan, Forbes.com, 16 Jan. 2026 The holiday season brings out dozens of holiday-specific hustles, from wrapping packages and running errands to hanging lights or serving appetizers and drinks at Christmas and Hanukkah parties. — Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025 Vera Bradley Featherweight Belt Bag Lightweight and versatile enough to go with your travel capsule wardrobe, the Vera Bradley belt bag keeps your must-haves close without weighing you down—perfect for airport hustles, sightseeing days, or errand runs between trips. — Chaise Sanders, Travel + Leisure, 28 Nov. 2025

Verb

Jessica Gonzalez hustles behind her booth at the recent Renegade Craft Fair, frantically ringing up sales, answering questions and packaging her beeswax candles. — Lisa Boone, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026 Despite concerns that chip stocks could be topping out as the industry hustles to boost supply, Wall Street thinks Micron still has plenty of room to run. — Tobias Burns, CNBC, 22 June 2026 In games like Tuesday, when that deep postseason run seems realistic, UCLA pops the ball around on offense and communicates and hustles to overcome its deficiencies on defense. — Aaron Heisen, Daily News, 6 Mar. 2026 Compared to the behemoth Acela, which hustles hundreds of thousands of riders between Boston, New York City, and Washington DC each month, Amtrak's Mardi Gras line is downright petite—just two 58-seat coaches, plus a café car and a 14-seat Business Class car. — Kara Newman, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Feb. 2026 Most notably, watch here as backup center Oso Ighodaro shuts down Jalen Brunson’s final attempt to tie the score, then Grayson Allen deflects his pass, hustles into the backcourt and banks it off Mikal Bridges’ face and out of bounds. — John Hollinger, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026 The pair goes out and hustles other players with a cunning ruse that relies on the era’s racial and ethnic divisions. — Jeff Ihaza, Rolling Stone, 29 Dec. 2025 The film keeps pace through toe-curlingly tense table tennis face-offs, high-stakes hustles, and a jaw-dropping scene involving a bathtub that honestly puts Saltburn to shame. — Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025 Families looking for the perfect holiday card shot drive photography hustles in November. — Kathy Kristof, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for hustles

Noun

Officials also recommend watching drinks closely, avoiding food or drinks from strangers and remaining alert to potential online dating scams.

— Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 2 Sep. 2026
The world of spellwork scams has been documented at length on Reddit, where users report paying anonymous healers for palm readings and magical cleansings.

— Ruby Cramer, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of scams

Verb

Deep in the Pyrenees mountains, a young man, Miquel, struggles in the wake of his mother’s death in a snowstorm — a tragic event that was at the center of Tóibín’s 2006 novella, A Long Winter.

— Mary Lawrence Ware, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026
Starring Weber Yang and Chang Shih Ying (Yen And Ai-Lee), the film depicts a grieving family that struggles to recover from a fragile relationship after an unexpected tragic accident.

— Liz Shackleton, Deadline, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of struggles

Verb

If someone hurries you, slow the exchange and name what feels good in your body, like sitting down before deciding on plans.

— Tarot.com, Hartford Courant, 11 June 2026
Nix almost always hurries his throws when a blitz comes Harvey’s way, regardless of whether the rookie RB picks it up capably or not.

— Luca Evans, Denver Post, 23 Dec. 2025

Definition of hurries

Verb

That obviously makes Labor Day a particularly good excuse to mix a cocktail that squeezes a little more out of summer.

— Emily Price, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
After leaving Vancouver, the route follows the Fraser River through the fertile Fraser Valley and into the Coast Mountains, passing Hell’s Gate, where the river squeezes through a narrow canyon, before arriving in Kamloops for the night.

— Lauren Dana Ellman, Travel + Leisure, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

This is all while Venus in Libra strives for justice, balance, cooperation and relationships that feel mutually considerate.

— Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 24 Aug. 2026
Chesney called Martin an unbelievable leader and said that his energy will give people a window into what his program strives to look like.

— Connor Dullinger, Los Angeles Times, 18 Aug. 2026

Definition of strives

Verb

Inside Botánica Santo Tomas in Wilton Manors, store owner Héctor Giovanni Pizarro Santana sweeps the floor as his tiny Chihuahua, Bella, scurries behind him.

— Delia Sauer, Miami Herald, 15 Aug. 2026
Meanwhile, in King’s Landing, Alicent scurries the great halls, desperate to shore up support for her plan to hand Rhaenyra the Red Keep.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 June 2026

Definition of scurries

Verb

His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.

— Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
But the emotional gravity of this offering's deeply personal, melancholic lyrical content plucks an undeniably profound chord that uniquely separates it from the rest of his work.

— Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026

Definition of plucks

Verb

Thoroughly unimpressed by her suburban idyll, and evidently unmoved by her responsibilities as wife and mother, Denise labors in her basement on a novel whose protagonist wishes to forsake her family for a life in New York.

— Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
Every man and woman who labors in the construction industry deserves that.

— Tim Dunn, Boston Herald, 5 Mar. 2026

Definition of labors

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Style

“Hustles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/hustles. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of hustles

noun

verb

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