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rattling

/ˈrædlɪŋ/
/ˈrætəlɪŋ/
IPA guide

Other forms: rattlings; rattlingly

A rattling is a quick, often unsteady, burst of sounds. The sound of a rattlesnake is a good example of a rattling.

You know how a baby rattle sounds? That kind of quick collection of sounds can be called a rattling. A rattling is disjointed and fast. Some machines — like a car engine — make a rattling sound when they're broken. The rattling of a rattlesnake’s tail is a sign you could be in serious danger from this venomous snake. Sometimes a doctor will hear a rattling in the lungs that indicates a respiratory illness. A rattling can also be called a rattle.

Definitions of rattling
  1. adjective
    quick and energetic
    “traveling at a rattling rate”
    energetic
    possessing or exerting or displaying energy
  2. adjective
    extraordinarily good or great ; used especially as intensifiers
    “had a rattling conversation about politics”
    extraordinary
    beyond what is ordinary or usual; highly unusual or exceptional or remarkable
  3. adverb
    used as intensifiers; `real' is sometimes used informally for `really'; `rattling' is informal
    “a rattling good yarn”
    synonyms: real, really, very
  4. noun
    a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)
    synonyms: rale, rattle
    see moresee less
    types:
    crepitation rale
    the crackling sound heard on auscultation when patients with respiratory diseases inhale; associated with tuberculosis and pneumonia and congestive heart failure
    type of:
    noise
    sound of any kind (especially unintelligible or dissonant sound)
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