1
as in forcing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
he was muscled out of command by his opponents at military headquarters
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Recent Examples of muscling
Both teams were hot then, and the game was competitive down into the final minutes in Gainesville, with Florida muscling it out.
—
Noah White, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
From muscling the F50s around the course in strong winds, these soft, sub-foiling breezes require a completely different skill set.
—Andrew Rice, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Held is in good company at Goldman Sachs, where former pros are muscling their distinct skill sets to succeed in new careers.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
Despite the officer’s orders, Chakraborty turns the door handle, opens the door and is seen muscling his way through as White fires four shots.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
With Johnson muscling inside or hitting jumpers long and short, and with considerable help from Mikey Williams and Mark Lavrenov, Sacramento State outlasted Montana State 83-80 with a thrilling finish in front of another full house of nearly 3,000 at sparkling Hornet Pavilion.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Mendoza scored, slipping a tackle and muscling his way into the end zone to put the Hoosiers up by 10 with nine minutes left.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Brooks could provide an early test of GOP support for Abbott’s signature voucher program, fresh off the governor’s success in muscling it through the legislature.
—Isaac Yu, Houston Chronicle, 16 Jan. 2026
However, muscling the Fed to lower rates and reduce or destroy its independence is another matter.
—Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Noah White, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
From muscling the F50s around the course in strong winds, these soft, sub-foiling breezes require a completely different skill set.
—Andrew Rice, New York Times, 1 Mar. 2026
Held is in good company at Goldman Sachs, where former pros are muscling their distinct skill sets to succeed in new careers.
—Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
Despite the officer’s orders, Chakraborty turns the door handle, opens the door and is seen muscling his way through as White fires four shots.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
With Johnson muscling inside or hitting jumpers long and short, and with considerable help from Mikey Williams and Mark Lavrenov, Sacramento State outlasted Montana State 83-80 with a thrilling finish in front of another full house of nearly 3,000 at sparkling Hornet Pavilion.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Mendoza scored, slipping a tackle and muscling his way into the end zone to put the Hoosiers up by 10 with nine minutes left.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Brooks could provide an early test of GOP support for Abbott’s signature voucher program, fresh off the governor’s success in muscling it through the legislature.
—Isaac Yu, Houston Chronicle, 16 Jan. 2026
However, muscling the Fed to lower rates and reduce or destroy its independence is another matter.
—Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscling
Verb
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The Heat did it by sitting in its zone defense for most of the night, slowing the 76ers and forcing them into 17 non-paint two-point shots.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
1 Apr. 2026
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The decision drew immediate fire from El-Sayed's primary opponents and national Democratic figures, forcing a rare public reckoning over how far the party should go to recapture young men who abandoned it in record numbers in 2024.—
Jesus Mesa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
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In the clip, shared by @whit_fashionfinds, footage from inside her living room shows her teen on hands and knees pushing clutter across the floor and underneath the couch.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2026
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In past years, pushing issues to the next meeting had been a tool the NFL used to win the day because the May meeting allowed league personnel to lobby owners in favor of their measures, knowing coaches and general managers would not attend that next meeting.—
Armando Salguero OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.—
Brittany Kubicko,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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Guevara and two colleagues, Mason and then-Detective Ernest Halvorson, orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The videos have pulled back the curtain on ingredient shifts across some of the company’s most recognizable products — and a surging cocoa market that’s squeezing the entire candy industry.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
1 Apr. 2026
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The Pios led 4-1 after a period and put the clamps down, methodically squeezing the clock and the Broncos’ hopes of a repeat title, a shift at a time.—
Sean Keeler,
Denver Post,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.—
Elliott Ramos,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
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City staff, however, expressed concerns about the request, compelling the recycling plant to instead propose a new shear in the same location as the current one and reducing the new shear's size.—
Jessie Christopher Smith,
Oklahoman,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In civil aerospace, for example, Rolls is benefiting as manufacturers Airbus and Boeing struggle to deliver new aircraft at the pace the market requires — obliging airlines to keep flying old planes (and their engines) for longer.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
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Black has sometimes driven for miles to a particular cemetery only to find a funeral under way, obliging him to leave empty-handed.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
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This document, signed by a sponsor, is a legally enforceable contract obligating the sponsor to support the immigrant and prevent them from relying on public aid.—
Daniel Shoer Roth,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Kristopher David was driving to work Wednesday morning near the intersection of Broward Boulevard and Seventh Avenue when a black Audi, traveling westbound at a high rate of speed, T-boned his white BMW.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
29 Mar. 2026
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Wake early to catch the spectacle of sunrise before driving 30 minutes to the neighboring Santa Teresa.—
Meghan Palmer,
Condé Nast Traveler,
29 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muscling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscling. Accessed 4 Apr. 2026.
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