muscling

verb

present participle of muscle
1
as in forcing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure he was muscled out of command by his opponents at military headquarters

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in pushing
to force one's way muscling straight through the packed crowd of people waiting to board the ship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 muscling The actor has also been muscling his way into movies, appearing as part of the ensemble of the 2023 Fast & Furious movie Fast 10 and in 2024’s Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare from Lionsgate. — Borys Kit, HollywoodReporter, 18 Sep. 2026 Tracking back against a two-on-one rush, Björck eliminated Aleksandr Legkov from the play by muscling him away from the inside of the ice, and then got the puck to Taillefer with a body check and a stick sweep along the boards. — Murat Ates, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2026 For now, however, investors are likely breathing a collective sigh of relief, after muscling through an anxious first half that included major geopolitical conflicts, and tremors around the potential for AI disruption. — Sarah Min, CNBC, 26 June 2026 The Antonoff of the early Bleachers albums was pop’s pint-sized pugilist, muscling his way to the front of the pack. — Walden Green, Pitchfork, 30 May 2026 Estimates that more than 200,000 could be on hand to witness the event seemed to come to fruition as beaches, parks and roadways jam were packed with crowds muscling for their place to see the fiery spectacle make its way out over the Atlantic. — Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2026 The headache of muscling a bill through the Senate, a chamber with its own unique set of rules and senator privileges, was enough to keep Thune from pursuing reconciliation until this week. — David Sivak, The Washington Examiner, 28 Mar. 2026 Both teams were hot then, and the game was competitive down into the final minutes in Gainesville, with Florida muscling it out. — Noah White, Miami Herald, 7 Mar. 2026 Held is in good company at Goldman Sachs, where former pros are muscling their distinct skill sets to succeed in new careers. — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 22 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscling
  1. forcing
  2. pushing
  3. coercing
  4. squeezing
  5. compelling
  6. obliging
  7. obligating
  8. driving
Verb
  • Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis descended from their northern stronghold, capturing Sanaa and forcing the government to flee into exile in Saudi Arabia.
    — AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Aubrey Layne, Sentara’s chief administrative officer, said lower payment rates from government programs — and impending cuts to Medicaid — are forcing the hospital to play hardball with the insurers that are representing employers.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of forcing
Verb
  • On Frequency of Love, Monét stretches out, pushing the boundaries of the sophisticated, retro sound of her previous album and finding some surprising new angles to her songwriting.
    — Molly Mary O’Brien, Pitchfork, 7 Oct. 2026
  • The Kremlin has banned diesel exports due to the Ukrainian strikes, pushing global prices higher.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of pushing
Verb
  • Playing that cat, a work camp warden coercing Hawke’s character into smuggling gold through the wilderness, is none other than Russell Crowe.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But in the past, these efforts were largely aimed at threatening or coercing Washington to act in their favor.
    — Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of coercing
Verb
  • Marris was aghast, squeezing the sides of her phone to capture what was on the screen.
    — CNN Money, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The level of boredom Pugh brought to Kate making her older client orgasm by squeezing his nipples really sold her approach to the work.
    — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of squeezing
Verb
  • The state’s campaign watchdog can seek a court order compelling an influencer to disclose that they were paid, but that can take months.
    — Sophie Austin, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026
  • This trend could displace hundreds of thousands of older adults, compelling them to select new Medicare Advantage plans.
    — Bruce Japsen, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of compelling
Verb
  • Recipe development can be a self-effacing task, obliging the writer to anticipate the appetites and routines of her imagined reader.
    — Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
  • First is to prevent their further migration by enforcing an international treaty obliging national authorities to treat ballast waters inside incoming ships that may carry such species.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026
Definition of obliging
Verb
  • Your 11th House of Friends lights up as the life-giving Sun energizes that area, squaring obligating Saturn in your 8th House of Intimacy and Shared Resources.
    — Tarot.com, Baltimore Sun, 6 July 2026
  • The unions argue that carrying out permanent layoffs during a funding lapse violates the Antideficiency Act, which bars agencies from obligating funds without congressional authorization, and exceeds executive authority under the Administrative Procedure Act.
    — Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
Definition of obligating
Verb
  • In the employer market, more recent data suggest the volumes of prescriptions — which are proprietary — are driving up spending more than prices, although prices are still a factor.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • When the Vikings regained possession Minnesota gobbled up the clock, driving the ball to the 2-yard line before ending the game with the victory formation.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of driving

Browse Nearby Words

muscles
muscling
muscular
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Cite this Entry

“Muscling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscling. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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