muck

\ ˈmək

How to pronounce muck (audio)

\

Definition of muck

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : soft moist farmyard manure

2 : slimy dirt or filth

3a : defamatory remarks or writings

b : rubbish, nonsense mindless muck

4a(1) : dark highly organic soil

(2) : mire, mud

b : something resembling muck : gunk

5 : material removed in the process of excavating or mining

muck

mucked; mucking; mucks

Definition of muck (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to clean up especially : to clear of manure or filth —usually used with out

b : to clear of muck

2 : to dress (something, such as soil) with muck

3 : to dirty with or as if with muck : soil

intransitive verb

1 : to move or load muck (as in a mine)

2a : to engage in aimless activity —usually used with about or around

b : putter, tinker —usually used with about or aroundmucking around with his computer

c : interfere, meddle —usually used with about or around

Other Words from muck Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about muck

Keep scrolling for more

Examples of muck in a Sentence

Noun Clean that muck off your shoes. spattered with muck from the pigpen Verb you can't work in the garden and not expect to muck your clothes

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun Warren doesn’t have to get in the rhetorical muck herself, because Castro is there to soften up Biden for her. — Gilbert Garcia, ExpressNews.com, "Castro’s snark attack divides the Democratic base," 14 Sep. 2019 The craggy protrusions above the thick muck that covers the ocean floor serve as resting and hiding spots for some animals but disrupt the movement of others, making them easier prey. — Warren Cornwall, Science | AAAS, "Mountains hidden in the deep sea are biological hot spots. Will mining ruin them?," 12 Sep. 2019 In 1918, the idea of scooping out the muck and creating an anchorage was floated again, but this time the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stepped in, saying such an undertaking was simply impractical. — Los Angeles Times, "Jerry Epstein, last of the Marina del Rey developers, dies at 96," 11 Sep. 2019 The higher-speed Brightline passenger system, now transitioning to the name of Virgin Trains USA, is clearing shrub, forest and muck from a corridor just south of the BeachLine. — Kevin Spear, orlandosentinel.com, "Virgin Trains digs into building 125 mph track across Orange and Brevard," 22 Aug. 2019 Tidelands lacks the immediacy and vibrancy of so much of her work, often feeling just as mired in the fog and muck as her heroine. — Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, "Tidelands is a dull, dour misstep from Philippa Gregory: EW review," 21 Aug. 2019 Just like that, a faint glimmer of collective intelligence emerged from the primordial capitalist muck. — Rowan Jacobsen, Outside Online, "An Ocean Plastics Field Trip for Corporate Executives," 8 Aug. 2019 The debate showcased her strategy of purposely staying out of the fractious muck. — BostonGlobe.com, "“The senator says she’s for Bernie, well I’m for Barack,” Biden said, before accusing Warren of failing to explain how she would pay for the massive expansion of government financing for health care.," 13 Sep. 2019 One way this shows in his work, for good and ill, is in the intensity of his nostalgie de la boue, his guileless desire to wallow in human muck. — Dwight Garner, New York Times, "Stephen King Visits an ‘Institute,’ Where the Kids Who Enter Can’t Escape," 8 Sep. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb He's mucked around in our elections and European elections. — CBS News, "Transcript: James Mattis talks with Michael Morell on "Intelligence Matters"," 23 Oct. 2019 Without him, or anyone like him, the Wild have slogged through games ever since, mucking it up in the neutral zone, while working so hard to manufacture goals. — Dane Mizutani, Twin Cities, "Wild want ‘dirty goals’ near the crease. Can that work for 82 games?," 8 Oct. 2019 But there seemed to be plenty of other options, like sneaking in the back, disguising myself as a guard, or mucking about with the machinery powering the factory. — Chaim Gartenberg, The Verge, "The Outer Worlds swaps Fallout’s post-apocalypse for art deco in space," 2 Aug. 2019 Everyone at a pen show admires the beauty of a fountain pen, even if not everyone seeks to muck the thing up by filling it with ink. — Steve Rubenstein, SFChronicle.com, "Some of these pens are more expensive than the sword," 24 Aug. 2019 Two weeks after fleeing, Sotolongo and her husband returned to the neighborhood, mucking through the swampy streets with waders and face masks. — Scott Dalton, CNN, "Their neighborhood was flooded to save Houston," 25 Aug. 2019 There is a manipulative preacher to muck things up, but as far as ravaged hellscapes go, this one sounds pretty sweet. — Margaret Wappler, latimes.com, "Crazy about books? These 5 L.A. book events offer inspiring stories from Los Angeles and beyond," 12 July 2019 For these classic Independence Day destinations, nothing short of exploding anvils, mucking, clogging, and frog races will do. — National Geographic, "Here’s where to spend an unforgettable 4th of July," 1 July 2019 Cheer on the young drivers (ages 9–16), then, after the town’s parade, head over to Brewery Gulch to watch traditional mining contests like mucking (shoveling broken rock into a bucket) and hard-rock drilling. — National Geographic, "Here’s where to spend an unforgettable 4th of July," 1 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'muck.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

Keep scrolling for more

WORD OF THE DAY

mot juste

the exactly right word or phrasing

Test Your Vocabulary

Pass the Little Ribbons: A Pasta Word Quiz

Match the pasta to its meaning in English: Rotelle

Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?

Dictionary Devil

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.