rattle has definitions from the field of zoology
1
[ verb ] make short successive sounds

Used in print

(Louis Zara, Dark Rider....)

The walls bulged , the floor trembled , the windowpanes rattled .

2
[ noun ] a rapid series of short loud sounds (as might be heard with a stethoscope in some types of respiratory disorders)

Synonyms

rattling rale

Examples

"the death rattle"

Used in print

(Marvin Schiller, "The Sheep's in the Meadow,"...)

Was I supposed to buy a funny hat and a rattle for Jessica ?

Related terms

noise crepitation_rale

3
[ verb ] shake and cause to make a rattling noise

Used in print

(Los Angeles Times...)

Chairman_Khrushchev ( Kennedy ) rattles his rockets ( sabre ) in_order_to cure his internal ills and to strengthen his negotiating position .

Related terms

shake

4
[ noun ] a baby's toy that makes percussive noises when shaken

Related terms

plaything

5
[ noun ] (zoology) loosely connected horny sections at the end of a rattlesnake's tail

Related terms

tail rattlesnake

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