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
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Recent Examples of muscling
His groundstrokes rip through the court, but the power all comes from timing and the kinetic chain, rather than muscling or heaving the ball.
—
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 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
Mendoza scored, slipping a tackle and muscling his way into the end zone to put the Hoosiers up by 10 with nine minutes left.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Matthew Futterman, New York Times, 28 Apr. 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
Mendoza scored, slipping a tackle and muscling his way into the end zone to put the Hoosiers up by 10 with nine minutes left.
—Alanis Thames, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muscling
Verb
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Things quickly changed, however, as Orlando’s defense stopped forcing turnovers and its offense came to a halt.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
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The staff union picketed outside the SAG-AFTRA building, where those negotiations were held for the first two weeks, blocking entrances to the parking garage and forcing negotiators to cross a picket line to get inside.—
Gene Maddaus,
Variety,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The company is also pushing for legislation to shield it from liability.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
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As the city morphs into a luxury tourist destination, struggling small businesses are pushing to retain the character that drew many tourists in the first place.—
Laura Millan,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Prior to his 2011 conviction, Jeffs was charged and convicted of being an accomplice to rape in September 2007 after coercing a 14-year-old to marry her 19-year-old cousin, though the ruling was later overturned by the Utah Supreme Court over faulty jury instructions, according to CBS News.—
Nicole Briese,
PEOPLE,
11 Apr. 2026
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Indonesia responded the following day by coercing the UDT and APODETI, among others, into issuing and signing the Balibo Declaration, which proclaimed the integration of East Timor into Indonesia.—
Agathe Demarolle,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
6 Mar. 2026
Verb
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From truckers to commuters, gasoline prices are squeezing budgets across the country.—
Jessica Guynn,
USA Today,
29 Apr. 2026
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The university is scheduled to replace the turf in July, squeezing into a tight window of summer events.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
29 Apr. 2026
Verb
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On March 17, the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena to Bondi, compelling her to sit for a deposition about the DOJ's handling of the Epstein files on April 14.—
Dan Mangan,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2026
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The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.—
Elliott Ramos,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 2026
Verb
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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
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Black has sometimes driven for miles to a particular cemetery only to find a funeral under way, obliging him to leave empty-handed.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
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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
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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
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After organizers failed to seek authorisation for the event, 600 police officers were deployed on Friday, issuing dozens of fines mainly for the possession of narcotics and driving offences.—
Niamh Kennedy,
CNN Money,
2 May 2026
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The guard has a knack of driving past the point of attack for her own shot or a drive-and-kick opportunity for her teammates.—
Fiifi Frimpong,
New York Daily News,
2 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muscling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muscling. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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