muse

1 of 3

verb

ˈmyüz 

mused; musing

intransitive verb

1

: to become absorbed in thought

especially : to think about something carefully and thoroughly

musing about what might have been

2

archaic : wonder, marvel

transitive verb

: to think or say (something) in a thoughtful way

"I could sell the house," she mused, "but where would I go?"

muser noun

muse

2 of 3

noun (1)

: a state of deep thought or dreamy abstraction

thrown into a muse by the book she was reading

muse

3 of 3

noun (2)

1

capitalized : any of the nine sister goddesses in Greek mythology presiding over song and poetry and the arts and sciences

Clio is the Greek Muse of history.

2

: a source of inspiration

especially : a guiding genius

The writer's beloved wife was his muse.

3

: poet

Did you know?

Muse on this: the word muse comes from the Anglo-French muser, meaning “to gape, to idle, to muse.” (Amuse has the same source.) The image evoked is one of a thinker so absorbed in thought as to be unconsciously open-mouthed. Those who muse on their pets’ musings might like to know that muser is ultimately from Latin musus, meaning “mouth of an animal”—also source of the word muzzle. The sister goddesses of Greek mythology known as the Muses have no etymological link: that word, which in lowercase refers to a source of inspiration, comes from Greek Mousa. The ultimate Greek origin of the word museum translates as “of the Muses.”

Synonyms

Noun (2)

• bard
• minstrel
• poet
• poetaster
• rhymester
• rimester
• versifier

Choose the Right Synonym for muse

ponder, meditate, muse, ruminate mean to consider or examine attentively or deliberately.

ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

pondered the course of action

meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

Examples of muse in a Sentence

Verb

I could sell the house, she mused, but then where would I go?

Noun (2)

where is the muse who will sing of this man's great and noble deeds?

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Trump’s previous anti-vaccine stance Trump has questioned the safety of childhood vaccines and mused about a possible link to autism for more than a decade. —Jamie Ducharme, TIME, 12 Dec. 2024

Trump made news at the NYSE and in the Time magazine profile: • Trump mused about creating a federal strategic reserve for cryptocurrency. —Jonathan Easley, The Hill, 12 Dec. 2024

Noun

Fortuna, the goddess of fortune and luck, serves as the muse for this exquisite piece, seamlessly blending elegance with the whims of fate. —Catherine Santino, People.com, 5 Dec. 2024

By his final run for the project, in October, the all-too-familiar streets of his neighborhood had become a prison of his own creation, the stickman equal parts muse and tyrant. —Scott Cacciola, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French muser to gape, idle, muse, from Old French *mus mouth of an animal, from Medieval Latin musus

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin Musa, from Greek Mousa

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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Kids Definition

muse

1 of 2 verb

ˈmyüz 

mused; musing

: ponder

muse

2 of 2 noun

1

capitalized : any of the nine sister goddesses of song and poetry and the arts and sciences in Greek mythology

2

: a source of inspiration

Etymology

Verb

Middle English musen "to ponder," from early French muser "to gape, muse," Latin musus "mouth of an animal"

Noun

Middle English Muse "one of the nine goddesses of the arts," from early French Muse (same meaning), from Latin Musa (same meaning), from Greek Mousa "Muse"