muss

noun

\ ˈməs

Definition of muss

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 obsolete

a : a game in which players scramble for small objects thrown to the ground

b : scramble

2 slang : a confused conflict : row

3 : a state of disorder : mess

muss

verb

mussed; mussing; musses

Definition of muss (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

: to make untidy : disarrange

Synonyms & Antonyms Example Sentences Learn More about muss

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Examples of muss in a Sentence

Noun

careful planning had eliminated most of the muss that usually accompanies a move to a new house

Verb

His suit was mussed when he got out of the car. the wind mussed up my hair

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Forget the fuss and muss associated with actual effort. — Jim Geraghty, National Review, "Twenty Things You Probably Didn’t Know about Marianne Williamson," 1 July 2019 Priorities are changing and no-muss, no-fuss canned drinks are in. — Michelle Santiago Cortés, refinery29.com, "Is Hard Lemonade The New Drink Of Summer? Trader Joe's Thinks So," 20 June 2019 Sara Huckabee has no right to live a life of no fuss no muss after lying to the press, after inciting against the press. — Fox News, "Kellyanne Conway responds to Democrats' calls to abolish ICE," 3 July 2018 Many places sell meat by the pound and have catering menus, allowing you to have a smoke-free, no-muss backyard barbecue. — Michele Parente, sandiegouniontribune.com, "San Diego's best BBQ: Here's where to make a pit stop," 13 May 2018 Time Capsule, especially, provided one-stop, no-muss backup for people who didn’t want to fiddle with external hard drives. — Brian Barrett, WIRED, "Apple’s Done Making Airport Routers, So Try These Instead," 28 Apr. 2018 Just dump the water down the drain when you’re done - no fuss, no muss. — Michael Boyce, USA TODAY, "7 crafty ways to use galvanized tubs," 26 Apr. 2018 Amazon Go means swiping the app on the turnstile, waltzing in, grabbing a drink and a sandwich and waltzing right out again: No muss, no fuss, no check out. — Elizabeth Weise, USA TODAY, "The Amazon Go store: techy-cool or creepy-weird?," 26 Jan. 2018 No muss, no fuss, and no need to listen to voice mails. — Barb Darrow, Fortune, "AOL Kills Off AIM, In Many Ways a Perfect Product," 6 Oct. 2017

Recent Examples on the Web: Verb

And that’s where the off-kilter, abbreviated bangs (slightly mussed with mists of McKnight's Cool Girl Barely There Texture Mist, which hung above the graphic jet-black eyes by makeup artist Peter Philips, came into play. — Lauren Valenti, Vogue, "This Paris Runway Will Change the Way You Think About Bangs," 26 Sep. 2018 Side-part your hair, center-part it, flip it over and muss it up with your fingers—whatever. — Chloe Metzger, Marie Claire, "60-Second Glow Up: How to Get Dewy Skin and Messy Waves Fast," 17 July 2018 The Tonight Show may never break from its mild-mannered routine, but since mussing Trump’s hair, Fallon may have at least grown a little savvier. — David Sims, The Atlantic, "Jimmy Fallon Can’t Ignore Donald Trump," 26 June 2018 His red hair is cut rather short, stylistically mussed, the vogue of someone who wants to play but also wants to be taken seriously. — John Branch, New York Times, "Like Shaun White Before Her, Chloe Kim Dazzles on Way to Winning Halfpipe Gold," 13 Feb. 2018 Back in September, with the election just months away, Jimmy Fallon mussed Donald Trump’s hair. — Laura Bradley, HWD, "How Late Night Sharpened Its Teeth in the Age of Trump," 9 Mar. 2017 To get rid of knots without mussing up the texture, Alex finger-combs her hair from root to tip. — Maureen Choi, Marie Claire, "What It's Like to Go Glamping at Firefly Music Festival," 16 June 2017 Hairstylist James Pecis used a handful of bobby pins to pull back just one side of the hair, and scrunching the rest of it with Amika's Haute Mess Texture Gel to get that mussed-up, bedhead texture. — Sophia Panych, Allure, "The Best Hair of NYFW Spring/Summer 2018," 13 Sep. 2017 The sleeping angel who looks so peaceful may gouge out an eye if her floss is mussed. — Janet Maslin, New York Times, "Stephen King and Son Team Up for a Novel About Women Whose Sleep Should Not Be Disturbed," 25 Sep. 2017

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