move a muscle

Idioms  

1. Bestir oneself even slightly. This idiom is usually put negatively, either with implied criticism, as in She won't move a muscle to help get dinner, or not, as in When I saw the deer, I stayed quite still, not daring to move a muscle. It was first recorded in 1889.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

move a muscle

Through it all, some 40 minutes, MPA didn’t move a muscle.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

I’ve been here for a while and I haven’t seen it move a muscle.

From Salon ● Dec. 19, 2024

Brain-computer interface devices work by recording brain activities associated with a function, such as speech or movement, and use them to control an external device without having to move a muscle.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 2, 2024

“He stayed absolutely still — didn’t move a muscle — and I thought, ‘This is going to be interesting.

From New York Times ● May 19, 2022

I’m sure he heard me, but he didn’t move a muscle of his face.

From "The Cay" by Theodore Taylor