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muss

[ muhs ]
/ mʌs /
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR muss ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a state of disorder or untidiness.

verb (used with object)

to put into disorder; make messy; rumple (often followed by up).

RELATED WORDS

turmoil, hash, mess, confusion, chaos, muddle, shambles, mix-up, mess-up, rummage, disturb, disarray, ruffle, disorganize, rumple, upset, wrinkle, clutter, tousle, jumble

Nearby words

  1. musm,
  2. musnud,
  3. muso,
  4. musquash,
  5. musquash root,
  6. mussaka,
  7. mussel,
  8. mussel crab,
  9. musselcracker,
  10. musset

Origin of muss

1820–30; perhaps blend of mess and fuss
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for muss

British Dictionary definitions for muss

muss

/ (mʌs) US and Canadian informal /

verb

(tr often foll by up) to make untidy; rumple

noun

a state of disorder; muddle

Word Origin for muss

C19: probably a blend of mess + fuss
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for muss

muss

v.

"to make untidy," 1837, probably a variant of mess in its sense of "disorder." Earlier (1830) as a noun meaning "disturbance." Related: Mussed; mussing.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper