Rattle Definition
rătl
rattled, rattles, rattling
verb
rattled, rattles, rattling
To cause to rattle.
To rattle the handle of a door.
Webster's New World
To make a series of sharp, short sounds in quick succession.
Webster's New World
To go or move with such sounds.
A wagon rattling over the stones.
Webster's New World
To provide with ratlines.
Webster's New World
To talk rapidly and incessantly; chatter.
Webster's New World
Synonyms:
noun
A quick succession of sharp, short sounds.
Webster's New World
A rattling noise made by air passing through the mucus of a partly closed throat.
Webster's New World
A device, as a baby's toy or a percussion instrument, made to rattle when shaken.
Webster's New World
A noisy uproar; loud chatter.
Webster's New World
A series of horny rings at the end of a rattlesnake's tail, used to produce a rattling sound.
Webster's New World
idiom
rattle around in
- to live or work in (a house, office, etc.) that is too big for one's needs
Webster's New World
Idioms, Phrasal Verbs Related to Rattle
- rattle around in
Origin of Rattle
Middle English ratelen Middle Dutch ratelen Old English hrate, hratele a kind of plant with rattling seed capsules all probably ultimately of imitative origin
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Verb from Middle English, either from Old English (not attested) or Middle Dutch ratelen, ultimately imitative. The noun (c. 1500) is from the verb.
From Wiktionary
Back-formation from rattling ratline variant of ratline
From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition
Rattle Is Also Mentioned In
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