muscle

American  

[muhs-uhl] / ˈmʌs əl /

noun

• muscles
  plural

1. a tissue composed of cells or fibers, the contraction of which produces movement in the body.

2. an organ, composed of muscle tissue, that contracts to produce a particular movement.

3. muscular strength; brawn.

   It will take a great deal of muscle to move this box.

   Synonyms:

   force, might, vigor, power

4. power or force, especially of a coercive nature.

   They put muscle into their policy and sent the marines.

5. lean meat.

6. Slang.

   1. a hired thug or thugs.

   2. a bodyguard or bodyguards.

      a gangster protected by muscle.

7. a necessary or fundamental thing, quality, etc..

   The editor cut the muscle from the article.

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verb (used with object)

• muscles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• muscled,
  past participle,  past
• muscling
  present participle

1. Informal. to force or compel others to make way for.

   He muscled his way into the conversation.

2. to make more muscular.

   The dancing lessons muscled her legs.

3. to strengthen or toughen; put muscle into.

4. Informal. to accomplish by muscular force.

   to muscle the partition into place.

5. Informal. to force or compel, as by threats, promises, influence, or the like.

   to muscle a bill through Congress.

verb (used without object)

• muscles,
  present (3rd person singular)
• muscled,
  past participle,  past
• muscling
  present participle

1. Informal. to make one's way by force or fraud (often followed by in orinto ).

adjective

1. Informal. (of a machine, engine, or vehicle) being very powerful or capable of high-speed performance.

   a muscle power saw.

muscle British  

/ ˈmʌsəl /

noun

1. a tissue composed of bundles of elongated cells capable of contraction and relaxation to produce movement in an organ or part

2. an organ composed of muscle tissue

3. strength or force

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verb

1. informal (intr; often foll by in, on, etc) to force one's way (in)

muscle Scientific  

/ mŭs′əl /

1. 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.

2. ◆ Skeletal muscle effects voluntary movement and is made up of bundles of elongated cells (muscle fibers), each of which contains many nuclei.

3. ◆ 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.

4. ◆ Cardiac muscle makes up the muscle of the heart and consists of a meshwork of striated cells.

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muscle Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing muscle

• flex one's muscles
• move a muscle

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• transmuscle
  noun
• muscleless
  adjective
• muscly
  adjective
• overmuscled
  adjective
• unmuscled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• muscles
  plural

Participles

• muscling
  present
• muscled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• muscle
  simple
• muscles
  simple
• have muscled
  perfect
• has muscled
  perfect
• am muscling
  progressive
• are muscling
  progressive
• is muscling
  progressive
• have been muscling
  perfect progressive
• has been muscling
  perfect progressive

Past

• muscled
  simple
• had muscled
  perfect
• was muscling
  progressive
• were muscling
  progressive
• had been muscling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will muscle
  simple
• will have muscled
  perfect
• will be muscling
  progressive
• will have been muscling
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

muscle muscles muscled muscling

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

Some attribute the recent emphasis on protein intake to the rise of GLP-1 medications, which often decrease appetite and make it challenging to eat enough protein to preserve lean muscle mass during weight loss.

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

By contrast, levels of R faecis and R hominis were not associated with any of the measures of muscle strength.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 22, 2026

Every muscle in her body ached, even parts she hadn’t known existed.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

"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

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

Tai chi strengthens the lower-body and builds postural and core muscles — the body’s deep stabilizing muscles — though it does so gently, over time.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Abby’s parents had taken her many times to the public swimming pool near their home, thinking that water exercises would help her leg muscles.

From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret

The stock market has muscled through trade wars—and shooting wars—to hit new records.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026

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

In a 2019 interview with The Times, Pratt said he muscled his way onto “The Hills” after learning that Sean Travis, a producer on “Princes of Malibu,” was working on the new series.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 21, 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

I took the ball out, drove into Nick, spun, got my left foot outside his left foot and muscled past him.

From "Slam!" by Walter Dean Myers

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

That’s where Haaland appeared first, muscling past his defender to meet the ball with his head and power it into the goal’s bottom corner.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 5, 2026

By contrast, the administration has had some success in muscling down mortgage rates, with the aim of improving housing affordability.

From Barron's ● Jan. 16, 2026

More recently, the daredevil actor has focused on warm-up stretches, muscling his eight-film franchise to its explosive finale.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 1, 2026

The colt sagged inward, muscling his shoulder and hip into the smaller Seabiscuit.

From "Seabiscuit: An American Legend" by Laura Hillenbrand

Related Words

• clout
• energy
• stamina
• strength
• weight