muddle
Americanverb (used with object)
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to mix up in a confused or bungling manner; jumble.
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to cause to become mentally confused.
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to cause to become confused or stupid with or as if with an intoxicating drink.
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to make muddy or turbid, as water.
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to mix, crush, or mash (an ingredient) into a drink, especially with a muddler.
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to mix or stir (a cocktail, chocolate, etc.).
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Ceramics. to smooth (clay) by rubbing it on glass.
verb (used without object)
noun
verb phrase
verb
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(often foll by up) to mix up (objects, items, etc); jumble
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to confuse
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to make (water) muddy or turbulent
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to mix or stir (alcoholic drinks, etc)
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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muddlednessnoun
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muddlementnoun
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premuddlenoun
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muddledadjective
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muddlingadjective
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muddlyadjective
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muddlinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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muddlesimple
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muddlessimple
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have muddledperfect
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has muddledperfect
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am muddlingprogressive
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are muddlingprogressive
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is muddlingprogressive
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have been muddlingperfect progressive
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has been muddlingperfect progressive
Past
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muddledsimple
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had muddledperfect
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was muddlingprogressive
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were muddlingprogressive
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had been muddlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of muddle
First recorded in 1540–50; mud + -le; cognate with Middle Dutch moddelen “to muddy”
Explanation
A muddle is something that's messy and confusing. If your bedroom looks like a hurricane just hit it, you might describe it as a muddle. Oftentimes, we create the muddles in our lives, so it’s appropriate that muddle can be used as a verb meaning “to mix up” or “confuse.” Conveniently, though, the word muddle also describes a way out of difficult situations; to muddle through a troublesome task is to somehow figure it out, even if you don’t quite know what you’re doing. It has been suggested that muddle comes from an old Dutch word meaning “to make muddy.”
Vocabulary lists containing muddle
In a Pickle: Words for When You're in Trouble
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Bridge to Terabithia
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Daco recently raised the chance of a U.S. recession to 40% because of these worries, but he still thinks the economy is sturdy enough to muddle along.
From MarketWatch ● May 29, 2026
The muddle of Catholic teaching on war has been a long time in the making.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
England entered the tournament with a settled-looking side, but now look a muddle with Matt Dawson calling for Fin Smith to replace George Ford at number 10.
From BBC ● Feb. 23, 2026
Another muddle concerns his expectations of economic gains from artificial intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
There was a muddle of arms and laughing and I wished I could go up to my room.
From "The London Eye Mystery" by Siobhan Dowd
That may be a greenlight for investors to take a closer look at well-positioned companies, even if China’s economy merely muddles along.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
“He just muddles through and uses Google Images and sort of figures it out that way.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2025
And his recent strategy to rebuke “weirdness” further muddles his role as the “normal” ally of the GSA.
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2024
He lavishes attention on the more culturally salient story of Riefenstahl but muddles its significance in a playful, morally uncommitted approach that perhaps might be more satisfying with supplemental biographical material.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2024
He muddles his vowel sounds, drops some consonants and even whole syllables.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Hirokazu Kore-eda directs this muddled film about grieving parents who adopt an android copy of their dead son.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
If anything, it muddled our relationship, the communicative signals of the PetPhone confusing Clover and ultimately making me feel distanced from her.
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2026
Feldstein Soto’s messaging was at times muddled and lacked the flair of her challengers, political observers said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 5, 2026
After all, Mary’s details are vague and muddled.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
We are caught in that undertow now with a massive wave behind us surging forward, and the image is so powerful, and my mind so weakened, I get muddled.
From "Dry" by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
Sharing a chatbot creates security vulnerabilities and can flatten the user experience by muddling personalization features, OpenAI warns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
The BBC understands Lord Mandelson doesn't believe there were any security concerns, wasn't asked to do anything to deal with any and there has been a muddling of key details relating to these claims.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
To make its mocktail rendition, Caporale suggests making a simple limeade by muddling mint leaves with fresh lime juice and adding sugar along with soda water.
From Salon ● Jan. 18, 2026
That’s partly because the plot can veer into far-fetched territory, but also because we see the story unfold from two different viewpoints, muddling the truth.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 17, 2025
A prosperous city-state on the east side of the island of Sicily, Syracuse had been muddling along for years under a succession of tyrants.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
