1
as in dirt
foul matter that mars the purity or cleanliness of something
spattered with muck from the pigpen
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
as in junk
that which is of low quality or worth
what's this muck that you've been watching on TV, anyway?
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in garbage
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
there's some solid substance in this book, but the reader has to trudge through a lot of muck to get to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to stain
to make dirty
you can't work in the garden and not expect to muck your clothes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of muck
Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025
Hollywood’s ghosts fill Lynch’s work, and so does its muck and its filth.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
The Mountaineers found some success with the full court press in the third quarter and used the ball pressure to muck the game up.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muck
Noun
There are accounts of brown, swirling muck near the landfill, of barrels leaching amber ooze into the grasses and ground.
—Lisa Kennedy, Variety, 3 Feb. 2025
Hollywood’s ghosts fill Lynch’s work, and so does its muck and its filth.
—Manohla Dargis, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2025
Verb
There are other snafus: The calligraphy on the place-setting cards is unreadable, and someone described as an energy medium has tried to muck around with the dining room’s musty feng shui.
—Tom Gliatto, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025
The Mountaineers found some success with the full court press in the third quarter and used the ball pressure to muck the game up.
—Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck
Noun
-
Submerge the greens in a large bowl of water and swish them around with your hands to loosen any dirt or grit on the leaves.—
Vicky Hallett,
NPR,
10 Apr. 2025
-
And let’s be real, I was dragged through the dirt.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The hotel’s lobby bar and connected lounge spaces are filled with an impressive collection of African art, from masks to textiles like mud cloth sourced from Benin, the Congo, Ethiopia, and the Tuareg people.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
16 Apr. 2025
-
When polio workers came door-to-door in late April last year in his village of simple mud and brick houses, the child had a fever.—
Ruchi Kumar,
NPR,
16 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Other hot zones to hone in on: your junk drawer, your coffee-mug collection, and toy bins in your kid’s room.—
Petra Guglielmetti,
Glamour,
2 Apr. 2025
-
The pictures depict a squalid living space, with junk strewn across furniture and floors throughout the home.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Mountains of garbage are said to be visible from space and people have complained of seeing rats as big as cats in the refuse.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Apr. 2025
-
With the parent club, Davison has been stuck behind Derrick White, Jrue Holiday and Payton Pritchard on the backcourt depth chart, limiting him to 15 mostly garbage-time appearances this season.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
12 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Its players are turncoats whose legacies are forever stained.—
Greg Cote,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2025
-
Be careful and don’t use it every wash because these products can stain your hair with a pink or lavender tint.—
Jennifer Hussein,
Allure,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Weed treatment can leave behind bare patches of soil.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
5 Apr. 2025
-
The Basketball Africa League (BAL) is set to kick off its fifth season today, in Rabat, Morocco—a historic moment as the league plays its inaugural games on Moroccan soil.—
Sindiswa Mabunda,
Forbes.com,
5 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The onion and cheese is baked at 400 degrees for 18 minutes or until everything forms a single, golden-brown layer.—
Jenn Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2025
-
After sampling a few local cheeses, visiting gastronomes can embark on an in-depth immersion into the region’s dairy industry with a trip to Ecoagroturismo Arqueixal, a small-scale operation that provides ample insight into the Galicia of yore.—
Jared Ranahan,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Just ask anyone who's watched an AI confidently spit out nonsense—or worse.—
Bob Ras,
Forbes.com,
14 Apr. 2025
-
While Drop, clocking in at an economical 93 minutes, may sound like fun and games, there’s something deeper and more human at its core than mindless nonsense.—
Fran Hoepfner,
Vulture,
8 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck. Accessed 20 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share