a bustle

Meanings

1. 1nouncountableold-fashioned

   A frame or pad worn under a woman's skirt at the back to make it stick out.

   Grammar: Countable: a bustle, two bustles. This sense is historical, from the 19th century.

   Patterns

   • wear a bustle
   • a dress with a bustle

   The Victorian dress had a large bustle at the back.

   In the 1870s, women wore bustles to give their skirts a special shape.

2. 2noununcountable

   Busy, noisy activity, especially of many people moving around.

   Grammar: Uncountable; often used in the phrase 'hustle and bustle'.

   Patterns

   • the bustle of the city
   • hustle and bustle
   • bustle of activity

   I love the bustle of the market on Saturday mornings.

   After the quiet village, the bustle of the airport felt overwhelming.

   There was a great bustle as everyone prepared for the party.

Word forms

Common combinations

the bustle of the city

She missed the bustle of the city when she moved to the country.

hustle and bustle

We escaped the hustle and bustle of the office for a quiet lunch.

a bustle of activity

There was a bustle of activity in the kitchen before the guests arrived.

wear a bustle

Actors in the play wear a bustle to look like people from the 1880s.

Synonyms and how they differ

activity

Activity is a general word for things happening; bustle suggests noisy, busy movement of people.

commotion

Commotion often suggests confusion or disturbance; bustle is usually positive and lively.

Opposites

Word family

bustling adjective

Full of busy, noisy activity: a bustling street.

bustle verb

To move in a busy, noisy way: she bustled around the kitchen.

Commonly confused: a bustle or hustle?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “a bustle”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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