1
as in dirt
foul matter that mars the purity or cleanliness of something
spattered with muck from the pigpen
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
3
4
as in garbage
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense
there's some solid substance in this book, but the reader has to trudge through a lot of muck to get to it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to stain
to make dirty
you can't work in the garden and not expect to muck your clothes
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muck
Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 8 Dec. 2025
In the muck and gore of the First World War, a dysfunctional group of soldiers is sent into no-man’s land to recover the body of a fallen angel.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
The Tigers’ offense isn’t going to scare Georgia, but the Auburn defense is allowing 16.4 points per game and could muck this game up.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muck
Noun
Sure enough, the sticky surface of the connector segment back to Arizona Trail passage 3 brought up haunting memories of being mired in muck the previous month near the Mogollon Rim, and forced me to employ a new mud-scraping stick within an hour of getting back on trail.
—Joan Meiners, AZCentral.com, 8 Dec. 2025
In the muck and gore of the First World War, a dysfunctional group of soldiers is sent into no-man’s land to recover the body of a fallen angel.
—Emma Alpern, Vulture, 2 Dec. 2025
Verb
Spencer said that vibe came out of a band — which has been filled with Tweedy family pals including members of Finom — at liberty to muck about with the arrangements.
—Jed Gottlieb, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
The Tigers’ offense isn’t going to scare Georgia, but the Auburn defense is allowing 16.4 points per game and could muck this game up.
—Dan Santaromita, New York Times, 9 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck
Noun
-
Satellite images show piles of dirt from the excavation growing in size.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This removes dirt or pesticides.—
Stacey Lastoe,
Southern Living,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Lee paired them with flat lace-up boots — there’s a lot of mud at those festivals — and oversize bags edged with miles of fringe.—
Tianwei Zhang,
Footwear News,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Thanks to the 2-inch rim, your baseboards are protected from any pesky mud that accumulates on the soles.—
Quincy Bulin,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Most of that toxic junk was never found, Fernando added.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
There’s so much junk in Eggleston’s pictures.—
Hilton Als,
New Yorker,
24 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
According to the Wall Street Journal, less than the burning of wood and garbage.—
Howie Carr,
Boston Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
-
In Churchill, the trash sites have all been bear-proofed (enclosed so the animals can’t graze among the garbage), but not so in Arviat, where Inuit enforcers show up in their buggies to honk loudly and chase the bears away from open-air landfills.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
His house in Minneapolis sits between two neighborhoods stained by bloodshed where Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were killed by federal immigration officers during a surge of immigration enforcement that has ignited outrage and protests across the country.—
Alaa Elassar,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
-
The shrine is Canton is demeaned and the Class of ‘26 stained.—
Greg Cote
February 1,
Miami Herald,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Only water when the top layer of soil is dry, and never let puddles sit in the saucer.—
Patricia Shannon,
Southern Living,
1 Feb. 2026
-
And as the Olympics return to American soil in 2002, Kidd joined Meet the Press to reflect on what that moment meant.—
NBC news,
NBC news,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Remove pan from heat, cover, and let sit to allow cheese to melt, 5–10 minutes.—
Jesse Szewczyk,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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Pair it with chocolate desserts or even a stinky cheese like Camembert.—
Lanee Lee,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Subsequent rulings expanded the assault on our electoral system, including Citizens United, which equates people to corporations — more nonsense.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
30 Jan. 2026
-
There will be times when too much time on my hands leads to nonsense, like deep character dives on Instagram regarding the wives of ex-boyfriends.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
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