muzzle
Americannoun
-
muzzles
plural
-
the mouth, or end for discharge, of the barrel of a gun, pistol, etc.
-
the projecting part of the head of an animal, including jaws, mouth, and nose.
-
a device, usually an arrangement of straps or wires, placed over an animal's mouth to prevent the animal from biting, eating, etc.
verb (used with object)
-
muzzles,
present (3rd person singular)
-
muzzled,
past participle, past
-
muzzling
present participle
-
to put a muzzle on (an animal or its mouth) so as to prevent biting, eating, etc.
-
to restrain from speech, the expression of opinion, etc..
The censors muzzled the press.
-
Nautical. to attach the cable to the stock of (an anchor) by means of a light line to permit the anchor to be pulled loose readily.
noun
-
the projecting part of the face, usually the jaws and nose, of animals such as the dog and horse
-
a guard or strap fitted over an animal's nose and jaws to prevent it biting or eating
-
the front end of a gun barrel
verb
-
to prevent from being heard or noticed
to muzzle the press
-
to put a muzzle on (an animal)
-
to take in (a sail)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
muzzlesimple
-
muzzlessimple
-
have muzzledperfect
-
has muzzledperfect
-
am muzzlingprogressive
-
are muzzlingprogressive
-
is muzzlingprogressive
-
have been muzzlingperfect progressive
-
has been muzzlingperfect progressive
Past
-
muzzledsimple
-
had muzzledperfect
-
was muzzlingprogressive
-
were muzzlingprogressive
-
had been muzzlingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of muzzle
1350–1400; Middle English musel < Middle French < Medieval Latin mūsellum, diminutive of mūsum snout < ?
Explanation
A muzzle is a guard that covers an animal's mouth to keep it from biting. If your dog is aggressive, you might have to put a muzzle on her when you take her to the dog park. Muzzle comes from the Latin morsus meaning "bite." A muzzle is the nose and mouth of an animal like a cat or dog. It's also the name for a guard made of straps or wire that's worn over this part of an animal's face to keep it from biting. It's the mouth of a gun, too. If you muzzle someone, you gag him to prevent him from speaking.
Vocabulary lists containing muzzle
Of Mice and Men
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 Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
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!
"The Highwayman"
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.
See Examples For:
Costume designer Colleen Atwood devised the ensemble, while Ed Cubberly created the famous fiberglass muzzle, deliberately leaving it uncoated to evoke the look of dried, taut skin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
He famously wrote about pushing a hawk off a branch with his gun muzzle, a level of approachability that extended to other birds like finches, which ultimately became foundational to his theory of evolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
Deborah famously tried to muzzle Ava a few times, only to back off when she realized that by hurting her protégé, she was wounding herself.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
Media monitors have criticised the junta for weaponising the legislation to muzzle journalists and social media users critical of their takeover.
From Barron's ● Mar. 2, 2026
Moose pointed his muzzle up, inhaling deeply when he burst above the surface.
From "Earthquake Terror" by Peg Kehret
Columnists and other voices are being both actively censored by management and learning to quickly adapt to the boundaries imposed on them — even if those boundaries and muzzles are not explicitly communicated.
From Salon ● Feb. 27, 2025
They observed six of the animals licking nectar-filled flowers from as many as 30 plants, one after another—coating their muzzles in pollen in the process.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 19, 2024
Kuehn also testified that producers had tasked her with obtaining dramatic photographs of gun muzzles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 6, 2024
She said her rescue centre only walked their dogs wearing muzzles and only rehomed them to rural locations.
From BBC ● Dec. 3, 2023
A line of ornate muzzles commanded their own section, and there was a pile of ball and chains in the corner.
From "The Underground Railroad: A Novel" by Colson Whitehead
The American Pope, meanwhile, refuses to be muzzled.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 18, 2026
“We look forward to making sure that oversight is preserved and protected and not muzzled and not unplugged or sabotaged.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025
After a brief conversation through the chain link fence, Matt says he'd be happy to continue the conversation in the field, provided Doug is muzzled and under Lily's partner Hayden's control at a distance.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2025
The 32-year-old attended a voluntary police interview the same month and was given a caution with conditions including to keep the dog muzzled and on a lead at all times in public places.
From BBC ● Mar. 21, 2025
Just as often, however, Adams also used the correspondence to unburden himself of opinions that his muzzled status in the Senate prevented him from sharing publicly.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
“The arrival of the shoulder season, fading weather support, and strengthening injections are muzzling attempted upside runs from earlier in September,” Eli Rubin of EBW Analytics says in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 22, 2026
Experts said such provisos still have the effect of muzzling a victim’s speech and hindering public accountability.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 19, 2025
"There should be more muzzling brought into place for dogs that could be like that," she added.
From BBC ● Jan. 12, 2024
But he didn’t like the idea of muzzling her.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 26, 2023
The muzzling regulations in Norwich were withdrawn in the last week in October.
From Norfolk Annals A Chronological Record of Remarkable Events in the Nineteeth Century, Vol. 2 by Charles Mackie
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
