Meaning & use
rattle
To make a rapid series of short, sharp knocking sounds, or to unsettle someone.
See it in a sentence
The old windows rattled every time a truck passed on the street outside.
The unexpected question rattled the witness, and she stumbled over her answer.
A note on using this word
Rattle describing sound is literal, while 'rattle someone', meaning to make them nervous, is a common figurative extension.
Words with a similar meaning
Choose a synonym to suit the sentence. Meanings can overlap without being identical.
Words with an opposite meaning
calmsteady
Another way to use it
2. noun
A baby's toy that makes a rattling sound when shaken.
The baby giggled every time she shook her favorite rattle.
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