muscle memory

noun

: the ability to repeat a specific muscular movement with improved efficiency and accuracy that is acquired through practice and repetition
They practice their routines with mind-numbing repetitiveness, for hours and days, weeks and years, so that each spinning, twisting landing off the high bar becomes an act of muscle memory.E. M. Swift

Examples of muscle memory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The muscle memory of doing that might be as valuable as those more impressive performances earlier in the season. Jessy Parker Humphreys, The Athletic, 24 Nov. 2024 But muscle memory doesn’t negate her crippling stage fright. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 21 Nov. 2024 The habit of enlarging your perspective on a regular basis has cumulative effects that develop muscle memory to dwarf professional letdowns. Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024 Easy to find language when it’s that deeply burned into your muscle memory. Ayad Akhtar, The Atlantic, 4 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for muscle memory 

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of muscle memory was in 1890

Dictionary Entries Near muscle memory

Cite this Entry

“Muscle memory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muscle%20memory. Accessed 26 Dec. 2024.

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