1
as in forces
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
he was muscled out of command by his opponents at military headquarters
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of muscles
Gringo Films does not sound like the kind of company that muscles its way into the global animation business.
—
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscles
Verb
-
The Sooners have made three of their four shots from behind the arc, including one from Nijel Pack that forces a Sean Miller timeout.—
Thomas Jones,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This also forces soldiers wearing the suits to perform exaggerated, awkward movements to stay on their feet.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
While many Democrats opposed the compromise as the left pushes for an aggressive stance against ICE, the party isn’t united on the issue.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Each year, the halftime show pushes the boundaries, setting new standards in stage design, choreography, costuming and performance expertise.—
Jayna Bardahl,
New York Times,
3 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This same self-centeredness compels his girlfriend (Olivia Thirlby) to move out of their modest apartment without warning.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
26 Jan. 2026
-
North Carolina requires vaccines without enforcement State law compels North Carolina school principals to require that kindergartners get seven vaccinations within 30 days of the start of the school year.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
15 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Teams feel uncertainty at the top, momentum slows, and the CEO quietly shoulders more stress, not less.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Buckley shoulders intense on-screen distress without losing grasp of her character’s humanity, and Mescal lets his wan charm melt into something more haunted as Shakespeare ages and wrestles with loss.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
27 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
However, the rotation of this filament clearly dominates how the galaxies within it spin, perhaps by funneling hydrogen gas along the dark-matter filament and onto the galaxies in a way that coerces their spin while providing further fuel for star formation.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
4 Dec. 2025
-
Haunted by the suspicious death of his ailing mother, Ali, a university professor, coerces his enigmatic gardener to execute a cold-blooded act of vengeance.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
14 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Chase Infiniti elbows into leading actress race Leave it to BAFTA voters to give a shout out one of the year’s biggest breakouts.—
Alex Ritman,
Variety,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Lower gently, elbows out 45 degrees, back flat.—
Gretchen Reynolds,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This example of the latter skillfully squeezes a comfortable home for two into a single shipping container.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2026
-
As the moon follows an elliptical path, Saturn’s gravity stretches and squeezes it.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
17 Dec. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muscles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscles. Accessed 6 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
