muscle
Americannoun
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a tissue composed of cells or fibers, the contraction of which produces movement in the body.
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an organ, composed of muscle tissue, that contracts to produce a particular movement.
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muscular strength; brawn.
It will take a great deal of muscle to move this box.
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power or force, especially of a coercive nature.
They put muscle into their policy and sent the marines.
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lean meat.
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Slang.
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a hired thug or thugs.
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a bodyguard or bodyguards.
a gangster protected by muscle.
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a necessary or fundamental thing, quality, etc..
The editor cut the muscle from the article.
verb (used with object)
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Informal. to force or compel others to make way for.
He muscled his way into the conversation.
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to make more muscular.
The dancing lessons muscled her legs.
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to strengthen or toughen; put muscle into.
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Informal. to accomplish by muscular force.
to muscle the partition into place.
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Informal. to force or compel, as by threats, promises, influence, or the like.
to muscle a bill through Congress.
verb (used without object)
adjective
noun
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a tissue composed of bundles of elongated cells capable of contraction and relaxation to produce movement in an organ or part
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an organ composed of muscle tissue
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strength or force
verb
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A body tissue composed of sheets or bundles of cells that contract to produce movement or increase tension. Muscle cells contain filaments made of the proteins actin and myosin, which lie parallel to each other. When a muscle is signaled to contract, the actin and myosin filaments slide past each other in an overlapping pattern.
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◆ Skeletal muscle effects voluntary movement and is made up of bundles of elongated cells (muscle fibers), each of which contains many nuclei.
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◆ Smooth muscle provides the contractile force for the internal organs and is controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Smooth muscle cells are spindle-shaped and each contains a single nucleus.
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◆ Cardiac muscle makes up the muscle of the heart and consists of a meshwork of striated cells.
Other Word Forms
- muscleless adjective
- muscly adjective
- overmuscled adjective
- transmuscle noun
- unmuscled adjective
Etymology
Origin of muscle
1525–35; < Latin mūsculus literally, little mouse (from fancied resemblance to some muscles), equivalent to mūs mouse + -culus -cle 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
There were four sixes but the the risk-free control of 12 fours, which barely got off the carpet, emphasised T20 cricket's most important muscle is the mind not the bicep.
From BBC
About 40 units are needed for the masseter muscles to help soothe teeth clenching.
My body was so fatigued by this point that all the stabilizer muscles in my ankles and feet were lagging.
Want to boost muscle mass and speed up recovery?
From BBC
Certain muscle and kidney cell populations declined sharply, while immune cells expanded considerably.
From Science Daily
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
