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

Palace’s ambition in the window was to walk back from January’s mistakes, and not try to muddle through a congested season with a small squad for a second year in succession. — Matt Woosnam, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Although geopolitical analysts love to talk about turning points, crossroads, and dilemmas, many governments have a prosaic tendency to defy these dramatic predictions and muddle through. — Ben Bland, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Many of us hear talk of plague and think that humanity, as ever, will manage to muddle through. — The Week Us, TheWeek, 19 Aug. 2026

The world has been able to muddle through the first few months of the Iran war, but the earliest efforts to keep oil markets balanced are running out of time. — Amy Myers Jaffe, The Conversation, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1864, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for muddle through

• amadou
• avenue
• ballyhoo
• baraboo
• barbecue
• barbeque
• bugaboo
• cabildo
• caribou
• cockatoo
• detinue
• devalue