MUSCLING Synonyms: 56 Similar and Opposite Words

muscling

verb

present participle of muscle

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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 Adrien Rabiot — France/Milan (-5) Succeeded in muscling Yamal off the ball a couple of times in the early minutes against Spain, but France’s structure left him chasing shadows for the rest of the first half and frustration took hold. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 16 July 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 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 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

Verb

The broader shortage has lifted chip companies worldwide — Micron reported a 15-fold increase in quarterly profits last month — while forcing retailers to hike prices for cars and mobile phones, among others.

— Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 27 July 2026
Sharp declines can trigger a margin call, forcing investors to either deposit additional cash or sell holdings—potentially at worse prices.

— Alexa LoMonaco, CNBC, 27 July 2026

Definition of forcing

Verb

The sky-high payments could be caused by a lot of different things — buyers wanting big cars, low credit scores pushing monthly payments higher or high credit scores allowing for bigger loans.

— Cassidy Alexander, AJC.com, 24 July 2026
The bear spent several moments sniffing around the office and wandering through the building before returning to the entrance, pushing the door open again and leaving on its own.

— Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 23 July 2026

Definition of pushing

Verb

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
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

Definition of coercing

Verb

Reserve interest on the float is the industry's revenue model, so an era of flat supply and rising turnover pays the networks, processors and platforms that charge per transaction while squeezing the companies that earn per dollar parked.

— Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026
At one point, up to 20,000 mariners and 2,000 ships were stuck in the Gulf, with only a few vessels squeezing through the strait each day.

— The Week US, TheWeek, 27 July 2026

Definition of squeezing

Verb

Agents instead went to several reporters' homes on the night of Friday, July 10 - just two days after the first story was published - with subpoenas compelling their testimony before a grand jury.

— David Folkenflik, NPR, 23 July 2026
Cruise portrays Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil magnate whose decisions put the world on the brink of catastrophe, ultimately compelling him to embark on an improbable mission to rescue humanity.

— Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026

Definition of compelling

Verb

There is no contract obliging a customer to buy a second bottle of wine, a second pair of running shoes, or a second box of protein powder.

— Gustaf Lundberg Toresson, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
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

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

His top priorities include driving economic growth, creating well-paying jobs, and expanding opportunities for both union and non-union workers.

— Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 27 July 2026
Ballout was suspected of driving a van into a crowd near Berlin’s Pride festival Saturday night before apparently stabbing others with a machete in what authorities believe was an Islamic extremist terror attack.

— Geir Moulson, Chicago Tribune, 26 July 2026

Definition of driving

Browse Nearby Words

muscles

muscling

muscular

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Muscling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscling. Accessed 29 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of muscling

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on muscling

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

inveigle

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

Why does English have so many silent letters?

Your vs. You're: How to Use Them Correctly

Popular in Wordplay

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Jul 24

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Dutch Treat and French Leave: Eight Place-Based Compounds

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

Games & Quizzes