muck

\ ˈmək

How to pronounce muck (audio)

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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

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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 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 Many avoid politics to focus on their own lives, while others don’t want to get into the muck with the radical partisans. — Justin Amash, Twin Cities, "Justin Amash: Our politics is in a partisan death spiral. That’s why I’m leaving my party," 10 July 2019 But as some of the alleged muck at home has begun to stick, so his campaign has emphasized Netanyahu's standing as a significant player on the world stage. — Sam Kiley, CNN, "Benjamin Netanyahu's campaign has an air of desperation as Israeli election polls tighten," 13 Sep. 2019 Today, the city’s massive population extracts so much water that the city is sinking down into the muck. — Jason Daley, Smithsonian, "Indonesia Plans to Build a New Capital on Borneo," 27 Aug. 2019 For most of human history, vehicles, pedestrians, vendors, musicians, drinkers and strolling lovers all mingled in the same amorphous muck of the avenue. — Avi Selk, Washington Post, "The death of the sidewalk," 30 June 2019 One driver new to such off-road muck got stuck in a Sahara with all-season tires. — Robert Duffer, chicagotribune.com, "2018 Jeep Wrangler rules the off-road world," 26 Apr. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb 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 Cris Tales Cris Tales puts a unique spin on JRPGs by mucking with time. — Brad Chacos, PCWorld, "Watch the biggest reveals from E3 2019's PC Gaming Show," 10 June 2019 Still, after mucking our way through a couple of rounds, the massive decision space started to feel more manageable. — Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, "Eight great board games we played at PAX Unplugged," 8 Dec. 2018

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.

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