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
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
With Johnson muscling inside or hitting jumpers long and short, and with considerable help from Mikey Williams and Mark Lavrenov, Sacramento State outlasted Montana State 83-80 with a thrilling finish in front of another full house of nearly 3,000 at sparkling Hornet Pavilion.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Mendoza scored, slipping a tackle and muscling his way into the end zone to put the Hoosiers up by 10 with nine minutes left.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Brooks could provide an early test of GOP support for Abbott’s signature voucher program, fresh off the governor’s success in muscling it through the legislature.
—Isaac Yu, Houston Chronicle, 16 Jan. 2026
However, muscling the Fed to lower rates and reduce or destroy its independence is another matter.
—Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Pfizer is muscling up in the slimdown fight.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
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
With Johnson muscling inside or hitting jumpers long and short, and with considerable help from Mikey Williams and Mark Lavrenov, Sacramento State outlasted Montana State 83-80 with a thrilling finish in front of another full house of nearly 3,000 at sparkling Hornet Pavilion.
—Joe Davidson, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026
Mendoza scored, slipping a tackle and muscling his way into the end zone to put the Hoosiers up by 10 with nine minutes left.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Brooks could provide an early test of GOP support for Abbott’s signature voucher program, fresh off the governor’s success in muscling it through the legislature.
—Isaac Yu, Houston Chronicle, 16 Jan. 2026
However, muscling the Fed to lower rates and reduce or destroy its independence is another matter.
—Ana Ceballos, Los Angeles Times, 12 Jan. 2026
Pfizer is muscling up in the slimdown fight.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscling
Verb
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Surveillance footage showed three people dressed in dark clothing forcing him into a white SUV and speeding off, investigators said.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
25 Feb. 2026
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The city subway system was also running with delays, including massive backups at multiple stations in Brooklyn after C trains were taken off the tracks, forcing all A trains to run local.—
Joseph Wilkinson,
New York Daily News,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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European officials want urgent clarity on the matter, however, and French officials appeared to be pushing for the EU to consider using its Anti-Coercion Instrument, or ACI, as a retaliatory measure, if necessary.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
24 Feb. 2026
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Environmental advocates opposed relying on voluntary agreements as the plan’s primary pathway, instead pushing for firm, enforceable minimum flow standards, while water agencies continued to support the voluntary approach.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Meyers is also accused of coercing the 15-year-old into recording the high school’s wrestling team, the complaint alleges.—
Brittany Kubicko,
NBC news,
20 Feb. 2026
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Guevara and two colleagues, Mason and then-Detective Ernest Halvorson, orchestrated a frame-up by coercing one witness to identify Rios by beating him with a phone book and flashlight, and another by threatening to charge him with obstruction, according to the plaintiffs’ allegations.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Abruscato got his own table nearby, while Coogan and Hays sat across from me, squeezing into a small wooden booth.—
Diego Lasarte,
New Yorker,
25 Feb. 2026
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Hoshoryu, at six foot two and around 330 pounds, dispatched his first adversary handily, squeezing him like an accordion and dancing him out of the ring.—
Joshua Hunt,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The lawsuit Paxton brought against the company sought compensation for economic losses, civil penalties and a court order compelling the company to take corrective measures to prevent future tragedies.—
Lana Ferguson,
Dallas Morning News,
23 Feb. 2026
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Former Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown was hosting a roundtable featuring seven Ohioans sharing stories about the financial pain that bloated health-care costs had inflicted on their families, compelling them to scale back their medical care.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In civil aerospace, for example, Rolls is benefiting as manufacturers Airbus and Boeing struggle to deliver new aircraft at the pace the market requires — obliging airlines to keep flying old planes (and their engines) for longer.—
Ian King,
CNBC,
25 Feb. 2026
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Black has sometimes driven for miles to a particular cemetery only to find a funeral under way, obliging him to leave empty-handed.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 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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Take extra caution when on the road or avoid driving if possible.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
28 Feb. 2026
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Police said it is now believed Daniels was driving the vehicle as Minor opened fire.—
Marvin Hurst,
CBS News,
28 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muscling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscling. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
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