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

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Etymology

Origin of muscle

1525–35; < Latin mūsculus literally, little mouse (from fancied resemblance to some muscles), equivalent to mūs mouse + -culus -cle ¹

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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

They can include muscle and joint aches, stiffness and swelling, reduced strength and pins and needles.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

According to the International Menopause Society, almost three in four women experience joint or muscle pain during perimenopause, while women are up to 70% more likely than men to experience chronic pain generally.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

During deep sleep, the body releases growth hormone, a powerful chemical messenger that helps build muscle, strengthen bones, and regulate fat metabolism.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

It acts as a growth regulator, helping cells determine when to manufacture proteins and support muscle maintenance.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

Every muscle in Ekon’s body protested as he crouched low, but there was no choice; he couldn’t be seen.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

“Confession” sees him trying out long atrophied dramatic acting muscles, taking a tentative step into Hollywood.

From Salon ● Oct. 18, 2026

These unsuccessful attempts included torn muscles and heat exhaustion.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

The researchers found that this chain of events helps explain why aging muscles gradually lose their capacity to repair themselves.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

In healthy muscles, they prevent DEAF1 from becoming excessively active.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

It can begin in one area of the brain and spread to other regions, sometimes sending your muscles into involuntary convulsions.

From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman

Ah Sing illustrated its tortured central character, Aerius, as a muscled romance book cover star — with a twist.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

He muscled his way past a defender and poked the ball home, establishing the 24-year-old as America’s top goal-scoring presence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

Prop Sarah Bern muscled her way over to level the scores on 20 minutes, before Meg Jones hacked on a loose ball and Ellie Kildunne gathered to stretch away on the half hour.

From BBC ● May 17, 2026

Anthropic, run by the former OpenAI executive Dario Amodei, has muscled further into financial services since it launched a suite of tools catering to banks, financial-technology firms, and others last year.

From Barron's ● May 5, 2026

He was twice the height of a normal human and muscled like a sprinter, and from the shoulders up he bore a thick-maned lion's head.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

He tore his ACL in practice and, after muscling through that disappointment, is now a first-time feature director with “Voices,” a lean and loud musical-thriller about thwarted dreams.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 13, 2026

That signals that geopolitical risks could be muscling their way into asset prices, potentially overshadowing positives from the economic cycle and corporate earnings.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 1, 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

When Atkinson miscued Mitchell Starc, Carey raced first-slip fielder Marnus Labuschagne back towards the boundary, muscling out his team-mate when both threw themselves towards the ball.

From BBC ● Dec. 5, 2025

Ralph and Dalton wrestle over the front seat, with Dalton eventually muscling his way in.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

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