muss
Americannoun
verb (used with object)
verb
noun
Etymology
Origin of muss
Explanation
To muss is to mess up. When your grandmother reaches over to muss your hair, she tousles it — you'll have to carefully comb it again before you leave for school. Falling in the mud might make you muss your new jeans, and a strong wind on a boat will muss everyone's hair. While the verb muss means "make untidy," it's almost always used to talk about hair, and occasionally clothing. The word muss has been around since the nineteenth century, and it was probably originally a variation on mess. A muss was once also a term meaning "a fight or disturbance."
Vocabulary lists containing muss
Milkweed
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 Book of Unknown Americans
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Tears of a Tiger
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.
Ich muss mich wohl sehr ungeschickt ausgedrückt haben, denn du hast tatsächlich fast jedes Wort missverstanden.
From Scientific American • Sep. 7, 2023
"Ich muss Deutsch lernen," he said: "I have to learn German."
From Reuters • Apr. 5, 2023
He adds, "No muss, no fuss; she's with us."
From Salon • Mar. 10, 2023
Kremer’s latest recording, “Searching for Beethoven,” with cellist Mario Brunello and the Kremerata Baltica, begins with Brunello’s arrangement of “Muss es Sein? Es muss sein!,” a 1970s song by anarchistic French chanteur Léo Ferré.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 14, 2020
He would give anything to be with her now, to muss up her hair once more and watch her make a face, to hear her finish a sentence with him.
From "A Game of Thrones" by George R.R. Martin
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.
