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
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Recent Examples of muscling
More recently, the daredevil actor has focused on warm-up stretches, muscling his eight-film franchise to its explosive finale.
—
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
But Biden and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is retiring from the House at age 85, got credit for muscling through significant legislation with thin Democratic majorities.
—Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
Pfizer is muscling up in the slimdown fight.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 30 Oct. 2025
Glenn Whipp, Los Angeles Times, 1 Jan. 2026
But Biden and former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is retiring from the House at age 85, got credit for muscling through significant legislation with thin Democratic majorities.
—Fortune, 11 Nov. 2025
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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In addition to its proxy contest, Paramount has filed a lawsuit against WBD aimed at forcing transparency into how the WBD board of directors evaluated the competing Netflix and Paramount bids, along with its internal valuation of the assets involved.—
Corey Martin,
Forbes.com,
21 Jan. 2026
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The Wildcats had the final possession and got a clean look at forcing overtime, but Nick Chamberlain’s 3-pointer was unsuccessful and the Aztecs held on to win.—
David Delgado,
Oc Register,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Kennedy Botts with Sisters PGH, a nonprofit serving the Black transgender community, is pushing back on that argument.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
9 Jan. 2026
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Friends of the Everglades is pushing for 160 square miles of additional conservation land in the Everglades Agricultural Area, to create space for 1 million more acre-feet of water storage.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This would likely mean seizing more resources inside Yemen—for example, by capturing the oil-rich governorate of Marib east of Sanaa—or by coercing Saudi Arabia into offering new financial concessions.—
April Longley Alley,
Foreign Affairs,
18 Dec. 2025
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There were more damning allegations made by Burrowes against Diddy, which included Combs coercing Burrowes to make changes in Biggie’s record deal with Bad Boy to make the terms more lucrative and favorable for the label.—
Michael Saponara,
Billboard,
3 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Echoing similar concerns, Stefani’s spokesperson, Daniel Herzstein, said in a statement that a lower rent cap would risk squeezing landlords who already face rising costs.—
CalMatters,
Oc Register,
14 Jan. 2026
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But squeezing China out of Latin America will take far more than a single show of force, no matter how impressive.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
14 Jan. 2026
Verb
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In season four, Mike’s (Renner) control over Kingstown is threatened as new players compete to fill the power vacuum left in the Russians’ wake, compelling him to confront the resulting gang war and stop them from swallowing the town.—
Tony Maglio,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Jan. 2026
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In Season 4 of Mayor of Kingstown, Mike’s (Renner) control over Kingstown is threatened as new players compete to fill the power vacuum left in the Russians’ wake, compelling him to confront the resulting gang war and stop them from swallowing the town.—
Nellie Andreeva,
Deadline,
5 Jan. 2026
Verb
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After obliging, the rapper started to riff by adding some new insults.—
Erin Vanderhoof,
Vanity Fair,
22 Dec. 2025
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Even in that short call, Paulson masterfully rides a roller coaster of emotion, from being starstruck over Crawford, bullied into skipping her big moment, to obliging her out of pity.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
9 Dec. 2025
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,
12 Jan. 2026
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According to investigators, the man was driving a Chevrolet Silverado northbound on Kilgore Road when the truck left the roadway, entered a ditch and overturned.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muscling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscling. Accessed 21 Jan. 2026.
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