1
as in power
muscular strength
I'm going to need someone with real muscle to help me move all this furniture
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strength
the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task
at the time the military lacked the muscle to fight two wars at once
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to force
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
he was muscled out of command by his opponents at military headquarters
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muscle
Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 13 Jan. 2026
Measuring 37 mm long, the deity was engraved by hand, resulting in an extraordinary level of detail on his hair, muscles, beard, toga, and even fingernails.
—Rachel Cormack, Robb Report, 13 Jan. 2026
Kamaron McNair, CNBC, 26 Dec. 2025
Though the friend and Kocher muscled through the bumpy quarter mile, Beckley refused for the sake of his brand new expensive triathlon bike.
—Rachel Royster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muscle
Noun
Electric muscle meets Italian pedigree The Xiaomi SU7 Ultra arrives with numbers that sound almost unreal.
—Verb
Consumers are ‘trying to muscle through’ Consumer spending has increased with each subsequent quarter, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, despite worsening sentiment and weakening consumer confidence, per The Conference Board’s monthly survey.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscle
Noun
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The experience also reinforced Madsen’s belief in the power of social media.—
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Mophie's power bank has the functionality of a wireless MagSafe connection, with the convenience of a stand.—
Noun
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Because confinement of the plasma in a stellarator is driven solely by the external magnets, modifying the shape and strength of the fields has a major impact on performance.—
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Celebrini’s assist on Regenda’s goal gives him 71 points, including 50 even-strength points, in 46 games this season.—
Verb
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With temperatures climbing above freezing and sunny skies melting half the structure, they were forced to start over entirely.—
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Twenty-two people — two civilians and 20 firefighters — were injured and thousands were forced to evacuate.—
Verb
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Persun says her community didn't push back against her shift into new content spaces, and in turn, her audience expanded.—
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Patrick Henry continued to push numbers forward and test the Islanders’ back line in the second half.—
Noun
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The item features two beef patties, three slices of cheese, lettuce, pickles, onions and a new tangy Big Arch sauce on a poppy and sesame seed bun, according to a news release.—
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Aside from beef brisket noodle soup, the restaurant makes its own buns and soup dumplings, rice dishes and appetizers like cucumber salad and chicken wings.—
Noun
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When the weather turns chilly, plants naturally enter a state of dormancy and draw energy down from their leaves and stems into their roots, which helps plants survive the cold without damage.—
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Rheinmetall’s new technology is key for the energy transition in the field of hydrogen production.—
Verb
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Investigators accuse him of coercing middle school football players to perform nude exercises in a locker room and secretly photographing them in various stages of undress.—
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Trump may hope that the threat of more danger from above can coerce the Venezuelan regime into acting in ways Washington wants.—
Verb
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The Panthers squeezed a few end-of-career seasons out of guys such as Dino Ciccarelli and Igor Larionov.—
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Instead, 2026 is about building both stylish and sensible outfits that can take you from the airport to the streets with maximum versatility without ever squeezing into tight, form-fitting fabric.—
Video
When Body Parts Are Also Verbs
Head, shoulders, metaphors, and toes
Cite this Entry
“Muscle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscle. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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