Muscle — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun verb /ˈmə-səl/ mus·cle

Meaning & Definition of Muscle

Muscle (noun)

  1. a body tissue consisting of long cells that contract when stimulated and produce motion
  2. an organ that is essentially a mass of muscle tissue attached at either end to a fixed point and that by contracting moves or checks the movement of a body part
  3. muscular strength, brawn

Muscle (verb)

  1. to move or force by or as if by muscular effort
  2. to make one's way by brute strength or by force

Muscle (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. muscular strength

    "I'm going to need someone with real muscle to help me move all this furniture"

    similar: beef, brawn, main, thew
    related: force, might, potency, power, puissance, sinew, energy, vigor
    near: impotence, impotency, weakness, debilitation, debility, enfeeblement, faintness, feebleness, frailness, frailty, infirmity

  2. the ability to exert effort for the accomplishment of a task

    "at the time the military lacked the muscle to fight two wars at once"

    similar: energy, firepower, force, horsepower, might, potence, potency, power, puissance, sinew, strength, vigor
    related: aptitude, capability, capacity, competence, competency, adequacy, effectiveness, effectualness, usefulness
    opposite: impotence, impotency, powerlessness, weakness
    near: disability, inability, inaptitude, incapability, incapableness, incapacity, incompetence, incompetency, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficaciousness, inefficacy, uselessness, helplessness, paralysis

Muscle (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

    "he was muscled out of command by his opponents at military headquarters"

    similar: blackjack, coerce, compel, constrain, dragoon, drive, force, impel, impress, make, obligate, oblige, press, pressure, sandbag, twist one's arm
    related: browbeat, bulldoze, bully, cow, hector, intimidate, blackmail, high-pressure, menace, shame, terrorize, threaten, drag, badger, harass, hound
    near: allow, let, permit, argue, convince, induce, move, persuade, prevail (on or upon), satisfy, talk (into), win (over)

  2. to force one's way

    "muscling straight through the packed crowd of people waiting to board the ship"

    similar: bore, bull, bulldoze, crash, elbow, jam, jostle, press, push, shoulder, squeeze
    related: ram, shove, thrust

Related Entry: Muscle car (noun)

Muscle car is a different word from Muscle. The synonyms below are for muscle car, not for muscle.

  1. as in stock car, turbocar

    similar: stock car, turbocar, gas-guzzler, land yacht, beater, clunker, crate, flivver, jalopy, junker, compact, coupe, intermediate, limousine, mini, minicar, sedan, subcompact, V-8, cream puff, convertible, fastback, hardtop, hatchback, notchback, ragtop, sports car, sport-utility vehicle, station wagon, SUV, town car, wagon, woody, phaeton, roadster, tin lizzie, touring car, coach, jitney, microbus, minibus, minivan, omnibus, van, hybrid, auto, automobile, bus, car, horseless carriage, machine, motor, motorcar, motor vehicle, wheels (slang)

Related Entry: Muscle cars (noun)

Muscle cars is a different word from Muscle. The synonyms below are for muscle cars, not for muscle.

  1. as in stock cars, turbocars

    similar: stock cars, turbocars, gas-guzzlers, land yachts, beaters, clunkers, crates, flivvers, jalopies, junkers, compacts, coupes, intermediates, limousines, minicars, minis, sedans, subcompacts, V-8s, cream puffs, convertibles, fastbacks, hardtops, hatchbacks, notchbacks, ragtops, sports cars, sport-utility vehicles, station wagons, SUVs, town cars, wagons, woodies, phaetons, roadsters, tin lizzies, touring cars, coaches, jitneys, microbuses, minibuses, minivans, omnibuses, vans, hybrids, automobiles, autos, buses, cars, horseless carriages, machines, motorcars, motors, motor vehicles, wheels (slang)

Related Entry: Muscle-bound (adjective)

Muscle-bound is a different word from Muscle. The synonyms below are for muscle-bound, not for muscle.

  1. as in sinewy, muscular

    similar: able-bodied, athletic, herculean, mighty, muscular, powerful, robust, rugged, sinewy, stalwart, stout, strapping, strong, sturdy, beefy, brawny, burly, hefty, hulking, husky, mesomorphic, chunky, compact, heavy, heavyset, solid, squat, squatty, stocky, thickset, chubby, dumpy, lumpish, podgy (chiefly British), portly, pudgy, roly-poly, tubby
    opposite: lean, light, lightweight, slender, slight, slim, svelte, sylphlike, thin, willowy, bony, gangling, gangly, gaunt, gawky, lanky, reedy, scraggy, scrawny, skinny, spare, stringy, twiggy, waspish, weedy, spidery, wiry, debilitated, delicate, effete, emaciated, enervated, enfeebled, feeble, fragile, frail, infirm, puny, unathletic, weak, weakly, wimpy

Related Entry: Antagonist (noun)

Antagonist is a different word from Muscle. The synonyms below are for antagonist, not for muscle.

  1. one that is hostile toward another

    "please name the novel's hero and his antagonist"

    similar: adversary, enemy, foe, hostile, opponent
    related: archenemy, archfoe, nemesis, ill-wisher, bane, bête noire, assailant, attacker, combatant, invader, competitor, emulator, rival
    opposite: amigo, friend
    near: buddy, chum, compadre, crony, fellow, hail-fellow, hail-fellow-well-met, hearty, hobnobber, mate, musketeer, pal, abettor, accomplice, ally, collaborator, colleague, comrade, confederate, friendly, partner, adherent, disciple, follower, backer, benefactor, exponent, supporter, sympathizer, well-wisher

  2. one that takes a position opposite another in a competition or conflict

    "his antagonist in the boxing match"

    similar: adversary, foe, opponent, rival
    related: equal, match, enemy, archenemy, nemesis, competitor, contestant, bane, bête noire, curse, assailant, attacker, combatant, invader
    near: accomplice, ally, confederate, partner, advocate, champion, exponent, proponent, supporter, sympathizer

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Muscle

The most common words with a similar meaning to Muscle:

beef, brawn, main, thew, energy, firepower, force, horsepower, might, potence, potency, power, puissance, sinew, strength, vigor, blackjack, coerce, compel, constrain, dragoon, drive, impel, impress, make, obligate, oblige, press, pressure, sandbag, bore, bull, bulldoze, crash, elbow, jam, jostle, push, shoulder, squeeze

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Muscle

Words with the opposite meaning of Muscle:

impotence, impotency, powerlessness, weakness

Related Words for Muscle

aptitude, capability, capacity, competence, competency, adequacy, effectiveness, effectualness, usefulness, browbeat, bully, cow, hector, intimidate, blackmail, high-pressure, menace, shame, terrorize, threaten, drag, badger, harass, hound, ram, shove, thrust

Near Antonyms of Muscle

debilitation, debility, enfeeblement, faintness, feebleness, frailness, frailty, infirmity, disability, inability, inaptitude, incapability, incapableness, incapacity, incompetence, incompetency, ineffectiveness, ineffectuality, ineffectualness, inefficaciousness, inefficacy, uselessness, helplessness, paralysis, allow, let, permit, argue, convince, induce

Word Forms of Muscle

Inflections: muscled, muscling

Origin & Etymology of Muscle

Middle English, from Latin musculus, from diminutive of mus mouse mouse:1

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Muscle

Words & Phrases Containing Muscle

muscle-bound, muscle car, muscle memory, muscle shirt, muscle spindle, muscle in, muscle one's way

Frequently Asked Questions about Muscle

What does "Muscle" mean?

"Muscle" means a body tissue consisting of long cells that contract when stimulated and produce motion. As an a noun and a verb, it is defined as: a body tissue consisting of long cells that contract when stimulated and produce motion. It has 4 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Muscle"?

Other words for "Muscle" include beef, brawn, main, thew, energy, firepower, force and horsepower. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Muscle" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Muscle"?

There are 68 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Muscle". Common alternatives include beef, brawn, main, thew, energy, firepower, force, horsepower, might and potence.

What is the opposite of "Muscle"?

Antonyms of "Muscle" include impotence, impotency, powerlessness and weakness. Near antonyms include debilitation, debility, enfeeblement and faintness.

How do you use "Muscle" in a sentence?

Examples of "Muscle" in a sentence: "I'm going to need someone with real muscle to help me move all this furniture"; "at the time the military lacked the muscle to fight two wars at once"; "he was muscled out of command by his opponents at military headquarters".

Is "Muscle" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Muscle" can be used as a noun and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Muscle" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a B1-level word, "Muscle" is typical of Cambridge B1 Preliminary (PET), IELTS band 4.0–5.0, TOEFL iBT 42–71, PTE Academic 43–58, TOEIC Listening & Reading 550+.

How do you pronounce "Muscle"?

"Muscle" is pronounced /ˈmə-səl/ and divided into syllables as mus·cle.