as in mess
a state in which everything is out of order
careful planning had eliminated most of the muss that usually accompanies a move to a new house
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in to disrupt
to undo the proper order or arrangement of
the wind mussed up my hair
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muss
Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2023
James, Sami, Jesse, Cassidy, and Karla (all from the super alliance of seven) sat out without much muss or fuss.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Nov. 2022
Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
The half-zip design can be slipped over your head without mussing up your hair and makeup, while a roomy kangaroo pouch is the ideal place to store your phone and even an in-flight snack.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muss
Noun
As promised, the restaurant is a no-fuss, no-muss operation.
—Bahar Anooshahr, The Arizona Republic, 18 Jan. 2023
James, Sami, Jesse, Cassidy, and Karla (all from the super alliance of seven) sat out without much muss or fuss.
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 10 Nov. 2022
Verb
As always, Lorenzo is more than happy to muss up the expected, to push the boundaries while still respecting the core traditions of the art form.
—Dave Schilling, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2025
The half-zip design can be slipped over your head without mussing up your hair and makeup, while a roomy kangaroo pouch is the ideal place to store your phone and even an in-flight snack.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 29 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muss
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muss
Noun
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By contrast, the ICE facility was a mess of overflowing dumpsters, loose body armor and crowd control munitions and a broken HVAC air conditioning system that raised both temperatures and tempers in the aging building.—
Keith Wilson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Oct. 2025
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Carving out the insides of a jack o'lantern leaves you with a big ol mess of pumpkin seeds and innards.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
18 Oct. 2025
Verb
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He was also accused of disrupting a second informational table hosted by a student group, according to Illinois State University Police.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
20 Oct. 2025
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Kathryn Palmer The shutdown unfortunately disrupted my weekend plans to check out the FDR Presidential Library in upstate New York, but the gorgeous fall weather in the area was a welcome consolation.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
20 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Bible refers to the eagle, which refers to America, the fourth seal broken, and hell coming to Earth.—
Jack Dunn,
Variety,
16 Oct. 2025
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Lee’s just about to explain Betty Jo’s absence when those cops that hate him — last seen at Dale’s memorial — scoop him up and deliver him to hell.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
15 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Staffieri was appropriately shocked and disturbed by both the antisemitic display and the breach of internal protocol.—
Marsha Sutton,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
19 Oct. 2025
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The plot was inspired by a Japanese news report that had deeply disturbed Woo, about a lunatic guilty of poisoning baby formula.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
19 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Who could possibly top the diary of havoc written in Santa Clara?—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
18 Oct. 2025
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There, the Brewers’ havoc seemed to start.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
17 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The doctor grunted, shuffled off.—
Sam Lipsyte,
New Yorker,
19 Oct. 2025
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Mazzulla could shuffle his starting five from game to game, too, based on matchups and other factors.—
Zack Cox,
Boston Herald,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Ray’s most chaotic photograms—jumbles that push out of the frame or look like time bombs ready to explode—find echoes in his films, projected on the back walls, a show in themselves.—
Vince Aletti,
New Yorker,
3 Oct. 2025
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In jumbles of old stones that, to me, are barely legible as the remains of buildings, Cocon López could see the entire timeline of old Aké and how later people interacted with and repurposed what came before.—
Lizzie Wade,
Smithsonian Magazine,
23 May 2025
Verb
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But too often, this instinct to chase conflict distorts reality and confuses the public.—
Nancy Gibbs,
Time,
17 Oct. 2025
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This view confuses structure with behavior.—
Dave Smith,
Fortune,
17 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muss.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muss. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.
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