1.Lit. to make a rattling noise inside something. What is rattling around in this package?There is something rattling around in my glove compartment.
2.Fig. to ride about in a vehicle with a rattle. I am perfectly happy to rattle around in my ten-year-old car.Todd rattles around in his grandfather's old car.
3.Fig. to live in a place that is much too big. We have been rattling around in this big old house for long enough. Let's move to a smaller place.I can't afford to rattle around in a three-story house any longer.