MUSCLES Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

muscles

verb

present tense third-person singular of muscle

as in forces

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure he was muscled out of command by his opponents at military headquarters

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as in pushes

to force one's way muscling straight through the packed crowd of people waiting to board the ship

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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 One year later, the XFL muscles its way onto the national sports scene with its first two games. — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Feb. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscles

Verb

The series, which has 57 parts, tells the story of two couples on a double date that descends into chaos after a mysterious figure hacks their personal devices and forces them to reveal their secrets to each other.

— Xochitl Gonzalez, The Atlantic, 17 July 2026
In this downward spiral, an unexpected encounter forces him to confront his limits.

— Marta Balaga, Variety, 17 July 2026

Definition of forces

Verb

Which hasn’t entirely stopped Klaveness from speaking out as Infantino pushes the boundaries of his power.

— Tom Kludt, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026
Daera pushes the conversation beyond recycled content as a singular solution toward a more complete circular product development.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 17 July 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

The piece is over before the mental picture really develops, which only compels me to start it over again.

— Jayson Greene, Pitchfork, 14 July 2026
Further, since a charging order compels an LLC to re-direct distribution payments to the creditor, the appeals court further mused that such was enough to create standing since the LLCs needed to know who to pay.

— Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

In the run-up to the summit, Erdogan described Turkey as a reliable ally that consistently shoulders responsibility on NATO’s southeastern flank and will continue to play a leading role in the alliance.

— ABC News, ABC News, 1 July 2026
Pulisic, who shoulders the heaviest load for the USMNT, split two defenders and poked a pass to Weston McKennie, who seemed to be trying to send a cross across the goal.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 June 2026

Definition of shoulders

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

Definition of coerces

Verb

Ghiggia gallops in from the right and squeezes a finish in at the near post to win the cup for Uruguay in the Maracana.

— Adam Hurrey, New York Times, 17 July 2026
As a result, food inflation squeezes the amount of money people have left over to buy things like Levi's jeans and plane tickets, which brings us to our next earnings preview.

— Zev Fima,Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 5 July 2026

Definition of squeezes

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muscles

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“Muscles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscles. Accessed 19 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of muscles

verb

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