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
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Recent Examples of muscling
The Pitt, then, is a fitting gig, with its gritty portrayal of a hustling ER full of vulnerable patients and clinicians collectively muscling through.
—
Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 17 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
The promotion was built to be fighter-first, a phrase Bidarian repeated four times in a conversation with The Athletic on Monday, and for years those fighters were solely boxers, including Paul muscling into the sport with his fame as an influencer.
—Mark Puleo, New York Times, 17 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
Despite the officer’s orders, Chakraborty turns the door handle, opens the door and is seen muscling his way through as White fires four shots.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Abbey White, HollywoodReporter, 17 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
The promotion was built to be fighter-first, a phrase Bidarian repeated four times in a conversation with The Athletic on Monday, and for years those fighters were solely boxers, including Paul muscling into the sport with his fame as an influencer.
—Mark Puleo, New York Times, 17 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
Despite the officer’s orders, Chakraborty turns the door handle, opens the door and is seen muscling his way through as White fires four shots.
—Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscling
Verb
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Clark finished with 21 points, forcing Toronto to respect her scoring ability and preventing defenders from keying solely on her passing.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
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The Saudis should be thrilled with the draw, as favored Uruguay, La Celeste, dominated large patches of the match with 67 percent overall possession, a 10-3 margin in shots, 14-4 in corner kicks, more than double the accurate passes and forcing nine saves of the busy Saudi goalkeeper.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Verb
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Incumbents have run on the perception that the transplants who have moved into working-class neighborhoods are pushing residents out while imposing their politics on more moderate communities of color.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
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Late-stage trial results from Cosmo Pharmaceuticals, Pelage Pharmaceuticals and Veradermics are now pushing new options toward pharmacy shelves, with one program already pursuing parallel approval in the United States and Europe.—
Allison Palmer,
Kansas City Star,
22 June 2026
Verb
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Travis Reed, who was a fire captain with the now-defunct Briar Volunteer Fire Department, admitted to coercing a minor into producing child pornography in September, according to a summary of facts in the case.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
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The Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression Act would prohibit federal agencies and employees from coercing or trying to coerce broadcasters and providers of online services or AI services into changing content.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 June 2026
Verb
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County officials pointed to state budget cuts and a $276,000 drop in liquor revenue as factors squeezing finances.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
18 June 2026
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Grip the handles on the sides of the machine, tighten your core, and extend your legs, squeezing your quadriceps (top thigh muscles) at the top.—
Jakob Roze,
Health,
18 June 2026
Verb
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The surge in chip investment and demand has reignited economic growth and inflation, compelling the Bank of Korea (BOK) to consider aggressive rate hikes.—
Dara-Abasi Ita,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
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Selaocoe extends that feeling after the song ends by once again compelling the audience to join him in song.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
22 May 2026
Verb
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The Swedish parliament on Monday adopted a law obliging public sector workers to report to the police any migrants who are not authorized to live in Sweden.—
Claudia Ciobanu,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
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The incident triggered a fire alarm, obliging the entire French delegation — some of whom were still in their pyjamas — to evacuate the building.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Verb
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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
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This document, signed by a sponsor, is a legally enforceable contract obligating the sponsor to support the immigrant and prevent them from relying on public aid.—
Daniel Shoer Roth,
Miami Herald,
12 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The woman who was driving the sedan was taken to a local Shock Trauma Center after sustaining serious injuries.—
CBS Baltimore Staff,
CBS News,
21 June 2026
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Not to be overshadowed by the outfielder’s efforts, Cody Morrissette also went 3 for 5, with one home run, as well as driving home Wallner with a two-out single to end the game.—
Staff Report,
Twin Cities,
21 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muscling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscling. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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