muddle
Americanverb (used with object)
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muddles,
present (3rd person singular)
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muddled,
past participle, past
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muddling
present participle
-
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)
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muddles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
muddled,
past participle, past
-
muddling
present participle
noun
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muddles
plural
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
-
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
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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:
I meet each new crisis with little more than a desire to muddle through, to patch it up well enough that I can forget about it.
From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026
Nice idea, but it's a bit of a muddle.
From BBC ● May 8, 2026
The muddle of Catholic teaching on war has been a long time in the making.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 6, 2026
Another muddle concerns his expectations of economic gains from artificial intelligence.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 3, 2026
He was trying to alter them so that they would shut more firmly, and, as the interlacement of such braces was complicated, be had got himself in a muddle.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
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
Nabulsi, unfortunately, muddles the story with multiple subplots, some inelegant acting and contrived English-language dialogue.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 18, 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 muddles his vowel sounds, drops some consonants and even whole syllables.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
Dementia had muddled the dates in his mind.
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
Hutchison previously said the issue muddled talks over a potential sale of stakes in certain port assets.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
Rising competition and a cautious consumer backdrop have suppressed sales, analysts say, and frequent management changes have muddled the strategy.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 8, 2026
Think whipped ricotta and blue cheese on crisp oil-toasted sourdough, topped with muddled olives, garlic, lemon and orange zest, fresh basil, olive brine, and a little red pepper flake.
From Salon ● Jul. 7, 2026
Sometimes Jerry Grindstaff muddled ponderously through a game, but most players considered him too morose to begin with, and they grew gloomier as he grew gloomier as his losings inevitably multiplied.
From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols
You can also try muddling in fresh basil or citrus peel to amp up the mocktail’s bitterness.
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
Just two weeks before a pivotal meeting, the Federal Reserve said the U.S. economy has been just muddling along as of late.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 26, 2025
In the early stages, Oddie says, they were "just muddling through".
From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2025
Ajay would head to the secondary school on a nearby island and keep muddling along for a few more years of schooling.
From "Tiger Boy" by Mitali Perkins
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.
