muss

American  

[muhs] / mʌs /

noun

1. a state of disorder or untidiness.

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verb (used with object)

1. to put into disorder; make messy; rumple (often followed byup ).

   Synonyms:

   bedraggle, tangle, disturb, mess

muss British  

/ mʌs /

verb

1. to make untidy; rumple

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noun

1. a state of disorder; muddle

Etymology

Origin of muss

1820–30; perhaps blend of mess and fuss

Explanation

To muss is to mess up. When your grandmother reaches over to muss your hair, she tousles it — you'll have to carefully comb it again before you leave for school. Falling in the mud might make you muss your new jeans, and a strong wind on a boat will muss everyone's hair. While the verb muss means "make untidy," it's almost always used to talk about hair, and occasionally clothing. The word muss has been around since the nineteenth century, and it was probably originally a variation on mess. A muss was once also a term meaning "a fight or disturbance."

Example Sentences

To Muss — which is how his family refers to him — standing still is not acceptable.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2025

Just as quickly, Muss managed to turn the Thrillers into a must-see spectacle.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2025

During the next hour, as he lays out how he made it to USC, Muss talks mid-jog, never once slowing down to catch his breath.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2025

Mr. Light stayed in touch with Mr. Muss and did end up throwing around a football with him one day.

From New York Times • Apr. 28, 2022

In the days of our first love, there on the Hudson, remember how I sang to you: “Stark wie der Fels, Tief wie das Meer, Muss deine Liebe, Muss deine Liebe sein?”

From Darkness and Dawn by England, George Allan