1
as in power
muscular strength
I'm going to need someone with real muscle to help me move all this furniture
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strength
the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task
at the time the military lacked the muscle to fight two wars at once
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to force
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
he was muscled out of command by his opponents at military headquarters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muscle
Danielle Zickl, SELF, 7 Feb. 2025
Gaining muscle weight and increasing your muscle mass is a slow process.1 Some younger athletes can gain 2 pounds of muscle in a month.
—Kelly Burch, Verywell Health, 7 Feb. 2025
Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025
There were various politicians who muscled their way to the podium and who took hostile shots at the reporters covering the briefing.
—Rick Pozniak, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for muscle 
Noun
In their everyday training—mainly lifting and HIIT workouts—football players work their larger muscles (say, glutes and quads) that prime them for explosion and momentum, Schiller explains.
—Danielle Zickl, SELF, 7 Feb. 2025
Gaining muscle weight and increasing your muscle mass is a slow process.1 Some younger athletes can gain 2 pounds of muscle in a month.
—Kelly Burch, Verywell Health, 7 Feb. 2025
Verb
Much of the credit for that unexpected metamorphosis goes to Gersten, who muscled her way into a subgenre — the topless temptation — once dominated by men.
—Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 10 Jan. 2025
There were various politicians who muscled their way to the podium and who took hostile shots at the reporters covering the briefing.
—Rick Pozniak, Boston Herald, 7 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for muscle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscle
Noun
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Immigration was a key element of President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign and helped Republicans sweep to power on a national level.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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With only around 60,000 Gaelic-language speakers left in the world, The Island is doing wonders for representation and at the same time constitutes so much more — an entertaining, twisty crime thriller featuring a dose of star power in the form of Industry breakout Sagar Radia.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
11 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
And so our – our whole position from the beginning was trying to put America in a position of peace through strength.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
16 Feb. 2025
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All guests were able to partake in a free fitness assessment that tested markers like grip strength to assign them a biological age.—
Emily Burns,
WWD,
15 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The administration's decision to cap NIH reimbursement rates could force scientists to shutter their lifesaving research on cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer's, addiction, infectious diseases, and more.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
11 Feb. 2025
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Ferrell’s absurdity touched a third rail, not only forcing Americans to laugh at how far our declarations of patriotism had gone, but gently poking to see if there were indeed limits to what was deemed acceptable while draped in the flag.—
Harrison Richlin,
IndieWire,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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For the past week, President Donald Trump and Elon Musk have repeatedly pushed unsubstantiated claims that dead Americans listed as 150 or older are receiving Social Security payments.—
Joey Garrison,
USA TODAY,
21 Feb. 2025
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What To Know Donald Trump Jr. pushed back against these doubts in an op-ed on conservative political news site Human Events.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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As is the case with everything Kendrick Lamar does, especially throughout his beef with Drake, his Apple Music Super Bowl LIX halftime show included a few easter eggs and caused fans to theorize about other aspects of the show that may not have actually been so purposeful.—
Armon Sadler,
VIBE.com,
10 Feb. 2025
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Miami doesn’t have much beef or depth in the post, so that could be a mismatch.—
Michelle Kaufman,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2025
Noun
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This ditches the expensive and not very road-relevant MGU-H (which recovers waste energy from the turbocharger) in place of a much more powerful MGU-K (an electric motor/generator that can power the wheels or regenerate energy under braking) and a larger battery.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
11 Feb. 2025
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Pursue nutrition support: Food is a form of medicine and can significantly impact your energy, strength, and mood.—
Verywell Health,
Verywell Health,
11 Feb. 2025
Verb
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The Supreme Court's Bantam Books v. Sullivan precedent makes clear that government officials can't use their position to coerce private entities into censorship.—
Brenda Looper,
arkansasonline.com,
5 Feb. 2025
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The new Trump administration, however, seems much keener on wielding U.S. military power to coerce the Iranians into abandoning their nuclear ambitions.—
Rosemary Kelanic,
Twin Cities,
5 Feb. 2025
Verb
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These are dunked in grapefruit ponzu or spicy kimchi dressing or simply squeezed with lemon.—
John Metcalfe,
The Mercury News,
14 Feb. 2025
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It’s further squeezed by competition from others in the space, including Etsy, Michael’s and Hobby Lobby, as well as big-box and online retailers such as Amazon and Walmart.—
Caroline Petrow-Cohen,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Feb. 2025
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Thesaurus Entries Near muscle
Cite this Entry
“Muscle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscle. Accessed 23 Feb. 2025.
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