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 Which muscles the farmer’s walk targets The move works nearly the entire body, but leg muscles, the core and shoulder muscles carry most of the load. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 24 July 2026 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

Cooper told Fox40 that changes to state parole laws are up to the state Legislature, which might not act until a high-profile case forces its hands.

— Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 25 Sep. 2026
Every year, by design, the law forces thousands of inefficient old vehicles off the road as the cost of compliance rises and parts become harder to find.

— Kyle Cheromcha, The Drive, 24 Sep. 2026

Definition of forces

Verb

The track never pushes too hard; its momentum comes from a nimble bassline, quick phrasing, and a chorus that lands with effortless precision.

— Brittney Williams, Billboard, 23 Sep. 2026
An industrial controller pushes a button Getting the refrigeration system and ground loops working was only part of the challenge.

— Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of pushes

Verb

However, the necessity of operating without a financial safety net compels one to internalize these lessons.

— Shreyans Lodha, Forbes.com, 18 Sep. 2026
And most of them did not choose the economic arrangement that compels them to burn that carbon, that splits labor and leisure in this way, that organizes work and pleasure around certain kinds of mobility.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of compels

Verb

Mary Amiti, Sebastian Heise and David Weinstein looked at who shoulders the cost of the tariffs, examining which part of the tariff reaches consumers through higher prices versus which share of the price hike is due to other factors.

— Veronique De Rugy, Oc Register, 4 Sep. 2026
Elordi nearly shoulders the running time but plays his Hig a bit too humbly.

— Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 28 Aug. 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

Where the Cayenne’s steering is calibrated so that the road nudges the driver, Bentley’s elbows back at those perturbances.

— Byron Hurd, The Drive, 27 Aug. 2026
Montana props himself up on a utility stool for our interview, elbows on a wood table, while holding his phone in his hand.

— Selena Fragassi, SPIN, 30 July 2026

Definition of elbows

Verb

That means if a trade war squeezes household spending, disrupts supply chains or generates ill will among local constituencies, there’s a chance the NHL (and at least 10 clubs) feels the pinch.

— Rick Burton, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026
People’s financial margin for error is generally pretty small, and just the rising cost of most everything just squeezes them more and more.

— Paul Wiseman, Los Angeles Times, 16 Sep. 2026

Definition of squeezes

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muscled

muscles

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“Muscles.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscles. Accessed 27 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of muscles

verb

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