muddle through

verb

muddled through; muddling through; muddles through

intransitive verb

: to achieve a degree of success without much planning or effort

Examples of muddle through in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Last weekend’s hamstring injury for Patrick Dorgu means interim head coach Michael Carrick will need to recalibrate his squad at both the left-back and left-winger positions, but United, in theory, have enough bodies available for the 15 remaining matches of their season to muddle through. James McNicholas, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2026 And fourth, if by some miracle the world can muddle through, there is also the risk that advanced AI will displace most people from their jobs, increasing the chance of political backlash that, Amodei writes, might make the task of sensibly addressing the other risks even more difficult. Billy Perrigo, Time, 30 Jan. 2026 Whether the labor market continues to muddle through will be key for gauging the health of consumer spending — and its potential effect on corporate profits. John Towfighi, CNN Money, 1 Jan. 2026 This is actually better than some of the hackneyed rom-coms Reiner muddled through, a coming-of-age story about two kids’ pseudo-love story from grade school through middle school. Will Leitch, Vulture, 16 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for muddle through

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of muddle through was circa 1864

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Cite this Entry

“Muddle through.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muddle%20through. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.

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