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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The space vacated down the right wing is attacked by Cunha, who forces Mathias Villasanti deeper, creating a bigger area for Guimaraes to receive the ball into.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
5 June 2026
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This forces doctors to rely largely on supportive care for people in advanced stages of disease.—
Elie Dolgin,
IEEE Spectrum,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
Cater pushes back on the idea that cutting carbs entirely is the answer.—
Samantha Agate,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
2 June 2026
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That lag pushes the peak of sea surface temperature in the Atlantic from the mid-June solstice to mid-September.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
1 June 2026
Verb
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This exercise compels you to step out of automatic thinking and broaden your strategic vision.—
Veronica Angela,
Forbes.com,
1 June 2026
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The legal agreement also compels TCH to fire multiple physicians who performed these procedures, revoke their privileges, and never hire or credential such doctors.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
15 May 2026
Verb
-
The least productive line of the four against Minnesota was the second unit, but that trio also shoulders significant defensive responsibilities.—
Corey Masisak,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
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Cunningham shoulders the weight of a city thirsty for meaningful basketball.—
Hunter Patterson,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
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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Figures move across these planes in extravagant silhouette, heads tilted just so, fingers stiffly splayed and elbows akimbo.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
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Before the Bride elbows her way into his life, Frank, ever so lonely, retreats into the world of movies.—
Stephanie Zacharek,
Time,
4 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Even Zach Cherry squeezes plenty from his part as the dealership’s manager, who grows loudly resentful when Nate seems more emotionally invested in his biological children than coworkers.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
27 May 2026
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War squeezes African, Asian economies further The fallout of the Iran war deepened globally as countries struggled to contain the impact of rising fuel and commodity prices.—
Semafor Events,
semafor.com,
22 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muscles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscles. Accessed 7 Jun. 2026.
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