muscle memory

noun

: the ability to repeat a specific muscular movement with improved efficiency and accuracy that is acquired through practice and repetition
Hitting the golf ball requires strength, flexibility, coordination and muscle memory.Al Barkow
They practice their routines with mind-numbing repetitiveness, for hours and days, weeks and years, so that each spinning, twisting landing off the high bar becomes an act of muscle memory.E. M. Swift

Examples of muscle memory in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Transition meant a new body but none of the cultural muscle memory that usually comes with it. James Marcus, New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2025 So that’s been ingrained in my muscle memory. Lynette Rice, Deadline, 27 Oct. 2025 The thing about Ben and I switching from drums to guitar all night messed with my muscle memory. Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025 Pokémon muscle memory will have experienced gamers take some time to pick a move and watch their partner execute it. Ryan Gaur, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for muscle memory

Word History

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of muscle memory was in 1890

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Cite this Entry

“Muscle memory.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muscle%20memory. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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