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
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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
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
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In a heartbreaking end to season 2, Peter forces Rose to promise to stay away from him for her own safety.—
Ashley Boucher,
Entertainment Weekly,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Lawmakers have reintroduced the Credit Card Competition Act, which forces issuers to put two unaffiliated networks on each card, allowing merchants to pick the cheaper one at the point of sale.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Other pushes Trump made in his speech have slimmer prospects of becoming law this year, such as his package of health care proposals that would redirect Affordable Care Act subsidies directly to consumers’ health savings accounts.—
Burgess Everett,
semafor.com,
25 Feb. 2026
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Johanna pulls off her mother’s jacket, knocks her to the ground, and pushes up her sleeve to uncover the scars of her mother’s long-ago suicide attempt.—
Elaine Blair,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The sheer richness of the fashion, meanwhile, compels viewers to step up closely to admire the artistry of the stitches and richness of the embroideries, and that’s precisely the point, because ultimately this is a celebration of the art of Italian handcraft.—
Laurie Brookins,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Feb. 2026
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The bill compels public universities and local governments, including schools, to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.—
Carole Carlson,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Teams feel uncertainty at the top, momentum slows, and the CEO quietly shoulders more stress, not less.—
Melissa Houston,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Lower gently, elbows out 45 degrees, back flat.—
Gretchen Reynolds,
Washington Post,
7 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Any tariff shift moves shipping volumes, squeezes supply chains, and eventually nudges consumer prices — but those ripples take time to reach shelves and paychecks.—
James Ward,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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All this requires a lot of power, which puts a strain on the grid and squeezes local resources.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muscles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscles. Accessed 26 Feb. 2026.
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