muscle
Americannoun
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muscles
plural
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a tissue composed of cells or fibers, the contraction of which produces movement in the body.
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an organ, composed of muscle tissue, that contracts to produce a particular movement.
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muscular strength; brawn.
It will take a great deal of muscle to move this box.
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power or force, especially of a coercive nature.
They put muscle into their policy and sent the marines.
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lean meat.
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Slang.
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a hired thug or thugs.
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a bodyguard or bodyguards.
a gangster protected by muscle.
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a necessary or fundamental thing, quality, etc..
The editor cut the muscle from the article.
verb (used with object)
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muscles,
present (3rd person singular)
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muscled,
past participle, past
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muscling
present participle
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Informal. to force or compel others to make way for.
He muscled his way into the conversation.
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to make more muscular.
The dancing lessons muscled her legs.
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to strengthen or toughen; put muscle into.
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Informal. to accomplish by muscular force.
to muscle the partition into place.
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Informal. to force or compel, as by threats, promises, influence, or the like.
to muscle a bill through Congress.
verb (used without object)
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muscles,
present (3rd person singular)
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muscled,
past participle, past
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muscling
present participle
adjective
noun
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a tissue composed of bundles of elongated cells capable of contraction and relaxation to produce movement in an organ or part
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an organ composed of muscle tissue
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strength or force
verb
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A body tissue composed of sheets or bundles of cells that contract to produce movement or increase tension. Muscle cells contain filaments made of the proteins actin and myosin, which lie parallel to each other. When a muscle is signaled to contract, the actin and myosin filaments slide past each other in an overlapping pattern.
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◆ Skeletal muscle effects voluntary movement and is made up of bundles of elongated cells (muscle fibers), each of which contains many nuclei.
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◆ Smooth muscle provides the contractile force for the internal organs and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Smooth muscle cells are spindle-shaped and each contains a single nucleus.
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◆ Cardiac muscle makes up the muscle of the heart and consists of a meshwork of striated cells.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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musclesimple
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musclessimple
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have muscledperfect
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has muscledperfect
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am musclingprogressive
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are musclingprogressive
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is musclingprogressive
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have been musclingperfect progressive
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has been musclingperfect progressive
Past
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muscledsimple
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had muscledperfect
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was musclingprogressive
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were musclingprogressive
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had been musclingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of muscle
1525–35; < Latin mūsculus literally, little mouse (from fancied resemblance to some muscles), equivalent to mūs mouse + -culus -cle 1
Explanation
Do you have the muscle to muscle your way to the top? Muscle is both a noun and verb associated with strength, power, or the use of physical force. In addition to biological muscle, like the biceps in your arms, muscle can refer simply to power or authority, as in “We have the muscle to get the job done.” Muscle can also refer to a hired thug. In a similar sense, muscle is used as a verb to mean “use force.” A bully might muscle someone out of their lunch money, or you might muscle your way through a crowd by pushing people out of your way.
Vocabulary lists containing muscle
The Silent Treatment: Words Plagued by Silent Letters
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Life Science: Human Systems
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Exercise Vocabulary
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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:
Growing evidence also points to a possible role for the gut microbiome in controlling muscle mass and function.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
More and more, diners are leaning into “proteinmaxxing,” the viral health trend that promotes increased protein intake with the goal of boosting metabolism, decreasing appetite and increasing muscle mass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026
Nvidia is flexing its financial muscle to address AI chip competitors but it comes with risks.
From Barron's ● Aug. 22, 2026
The researchers therefore set out to determine whether particular species of gut microbes were linked to muscle strength and, if so, to investigate how those bacteria might influence muscle tissue.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
He used every muscle from his toes to his neck to heave the ball up.
From "Millionaires for the Month" by Stacey McAnulty
The physical changes in the muscles were accompanied by alterations in proteins and enzymes involved in the metabolic processes that produce energy for muscle activity.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026
Protein powders maximise muscle repair and contribute to muscle growth, while creatine is a quick source of energy for muscles and important in short-duration, high-intensity activities like sprinting.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
"Other common treatments for knee osteoarthritis include strengthening the thigh muscles, using knee braces, taking anti-inflammatory medications, getting cortisone and other injections, and sometimes having knee replacement surgery."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 20, 2026
It is a quick source of energy for muscles, which is especially important for short-duration, high intensity activities such as sprinting.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
With control of the muscles of the foot the toes may be brought down to the floor without any movement that is perceptible to the eye.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
With less than three minutes on the clock, prop Thomas du Toit, heading back to his homeland from Bath this summer, muscled through Ellis Genge and Ollie Chessum to score from close range.
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
He somehow muscled his ball into the fairway and then found the green with his next shot.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 21, 2026
With the Wayans brothers firmly back in the driver’s seat, horror parody “Scary Movie” muscled its way past He-Man for the top spot at the box office this weekend.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 7, 2026
Murphy gave Niecy Nash-Betts enough space and material in “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” for her to deliver an award-winning performance that muscled to the fore.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026
Trimble: thickly muscled, with forearms like hams and a tattoo of a mermaid on one bicep.
From "Ship Breaker" by Paolo Bacigalupi
On the whole, however, economists say there’s no sign AI is muscling people out of their jobs on a massive scale.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 10, 2026
“Nobody is muscling us. All I’ve got to do is show up and do the same thing that I’ve always done, which is be as truthful, and authentic and informed.”
From Los Angeles Times ● May 10, 2026
Nineteen-year-old sensation Cooper Flagg appeared to have won it for Dallas, muscling through Wendell Carter Jr for a four-point lead with 37 seconds left.
From Barron's ● Mar. 6, 2026
As the operator, you can override the lane-change feature by muscling the car into a new lane.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 20, 2025
Complaining that “the Chicago people” were muscling in on his match race, Swope went into overdrive.
From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand
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.
