gluteus maximus
noun
gluteus max·i·mus
-ˈmak-sə-məs 
plural glutei maximi
-ˈmak-sə-ˌmī
: the outermost muscle of the three glutei found in each of the human buttocks
Examples of gluteus maximus in a Sentence
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Researchers from the University of Westminster in the U.K. discovered that the shape of the gluteus maximus muscle in the buttocks changes with age, gender, lifestyle and frailty, as well as certain conditions like osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes.
—
Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Two of these features were reported in previous work: the femur is twisted inward, and there’s a small protrusion where the gluteus maximus would have attached to it.
—Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026
In a study presented at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting, researchers identified structural changes in the gluteus maximus muscle associated with type 2 diabetes.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Dec. 2025
The shape of the gluteus maximus muscle—the largest muscle in the human body—changes with lifestyle and aging factors and conditions like osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes, which the team have dug deeper into.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
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Angelica Stabile, FOXNews.com, 3 Jan. 2026
Two of these features were reported in previous work: the femur is twisted inward, and there’s a small protrusion where the gluteus maximus would have attached to it.
—Cody Cottier, Scientific American, 2 Jan. 2026
In a study presented at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting, researchers identified structural changes in the gluteus maximus muscle associated with type 2 diabetes.
—Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 1 Dec. 2025
The shape of the gluteus maximus muscle—the largest muscle in the human body—changes with lifestyle and aging factors and conditions like osteoporosis and type 2 diabetes, which the team have dug deeper into.
—Hannah Millington, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for gluteus maximus
Cite this Entry
“Gluteus maximus.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gluteus%20maximus. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
gluteus maximus
noun
gluteus max·i·mus
-ˈmak-sə-məs
plural glutei maximi
-sə-ˌmī
: the outermost of the three muscles in each buttock that arises from the sacrum, coccyx, back part of the ilium and adjacent structures, that is inserted into the fascia lata of the thigh and the gluteal tuberosity of the femur, and that acts to extend and laterally rotate the thigh
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