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
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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
The promotion was built to be fighter-first, a phrase Bidarian repeated four times in a conversation with The Athletic on Monday, and for years those fighters were solely boxers, including Paul muscling into the sport with his fame as an influencer.
—Mark Puleo, New York Times, 17 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
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
Walden Green, Pitchfork, 30 May 2026
The promotion was built to be fighter-first, a phrase Bidarian repeated four times in a conversation with The Athletic on Monday, and for years those fighters were solely boxers, including Paul muscling into the sport with his fame as an influencer.
—Mark Puleo, New York Times, 17 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
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscling
Verb
-
Clark finished with 21 points, forcing Toronto to respect her scoring ability and preventing defenders from keying solely on her passing.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
-
The Saudis should be thrilled with the draw, as favored Uruguay, La Celeste, dominated large patches of the match with 67 percent overall possession, a 10-3 margin in shots, 14-4 in corner kicks, more than double the accurate passes and forcing nine saves of the busy Saudi goalkeeper.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Trump is pushing France to nix a 3% tech levy on revenue from large digital services that has been in place since 2019.—
Mabinty Quarshie,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2026
-
If their next outing doesn’t keep carefully evolving, they can get branded a one-trick pony, but pushing the envelope too far can alienate day-one fans.—
Craig Jenkins,
Vulture,
15 June 2026
Verb
-
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
-
The lawsuit also claims officers choked Day and slammed him against a wall, eventually coercing him into confessing to killing Irving and Garcia.—
Todd Feurer,
CBS News,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Lightweight enough to toss into a carry-on, these slippers still have a durable sole, meaning quick trips to the airplane bathroom or hotel hallway don’t require squeezing back into shoes.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
11 June 2026
-
Americans are reeling from a cost-of-living crisis that’s squeezing even the biggest earners in the country.—
Emma Burleigh,
Fortune,
8 June 2026
Verb
-
Selaocoe extends that feeling after the song ends by once again compelling the audience to join him in song.—
Sheila Regan,
Twin Cities,
22 May 2026
-
Her new perspective gazes at us directly, compelling us to meet her eye.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 May 2026
Verb
-
The incident triggered a fire alarm, obliging the entire French delegation — some of whom were still in their pyjamas — to evacuate the building.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
-
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
Verb
-
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
-
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
-
And much of their Finals journey was overshadowed by the OJ Simpson case that began with a white Ford Bronco slowly driving down Southern California freeways in the middle of the opening game.—
Kyle Feldscher,
CNN Money,
14 June 2026
-
Investigators said Morabia Siddhi Suresh, 33, of Fremont, California, had been driving in rainy conditions when she was involved in a separate collision, according to Kentucky State Police.—
Anthony Thompson,
USA Today,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muscling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscling. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
