muscle
- noun
- /ˈmʌsəl/
- News producer-reporter John Jervis agreed with Kelly that "we certainly... had the muscle power to produce a one-hour show."
- flex political muscle
- political muscle
- military muscle
But where this statement to me had its real muscle is around the enablers.
- But where this statement to me had its real muscle is around the enablers.
- They had their assets stuffing ballot boxes, using mafia muscle to shut down opposition meetings.
Examples
-
So somehow we have to get some muscle behind A.
-
Washington can no longer rely on its economic muscle to persuade Seoul to embrace U.S. policies.
Academic text (2007) -
Put some muscle on your team and make your story strong.
-
But it's really a lack of the muscle of paying attention.
-
I heard that you are looking for someone with muscle.
-
We would also like to see USDA putting their muscle behind plant based foods.
-
Turkey now has many aspiring press barons, motivated by the commercial and political muscle that media ownership affords.
Academic text (2000) -
No modern winches or pulleys were on board; only human muscle was used to handle rigging and sails.
Academic text (2002) -
The company used its financial muscle to secure the contract against competing bids.
-
To achieve her goals in the negotiation, she knew she needed more political muscle to persuade the council.
Antonyms
Idioms
Compounds
- Specialized
A sudden tight movement of a muscle that hurts or feels uncomfortable
- Specialized
A long body cell that makes muscles move by becoming shorter and longer
- Specialized
A body part attached to bones that pulls them to move the body, often with stripes
- Specialized
A muscle that becomes shorter or tighter and causes movement and tension
- Specialized
Muscle in the walls of organs and blood vessels that works without thinking
- Offensive
A slang name for an upper arm or chest muscle men show off, sometimes meaning a man's penis
- Specialized
A type of body tissue with light and dark stripes that moves bones when you want
- Specialized
Thin bands between the ribs that tighten to help you breathe in
- Specialized
A muscle in organs like the stomach or bladder that works without you thinking, not the heart
- Specialized
Small heart muscle that pulls valves to stop blood flowing back to the upper chambers when the heart beats
- Specialized
A long thin thigh muscle that helps rotate the leg and cross one leg
- Specialized
A large flat muscle on the upper back and neck that moves the shoulders and arms
- Specialized
A thick muscle on each side of the neck that helps you turn and bend your head
- Specialized
Muscle that has visible light and dark bands, like heart and arm muscles
- Specialized
A thin muscle in the cheek that presses the cheek against the teeth to hold food or help blow air
- Specialized
A part of the face that flattens the cheek and pulls back the corner of the mouth
- Specialized
A flat triangular part at the top of the back that moves and supports the shoulder and arm
- Specialized
A flat slanted muscle on each side of the belly that helps turn and support the upper body
- Specialized
A muscle that moves a limb or other body part away from the body's middle
- Specialized
A small muscle at the back of the elbow that helps straighten the arm
- Specialized
A muscle that works against another to control movement at a joint
- Specialized
A muscle that helps turn the shoulder blade and lift the ribs
- Specialized
A muscle that attaches to the covering of a joint and helps keep the joint steady
- Specialized
A flat muscle on each side of the stomach that helps twist the body and pull in the waist
- Specialized
A muscle on the outer side of the eye that turns the eye outward away from the nose
- Specialized
A muscle in the upper back under the trapezius that pulls the shoulder blade toward the spine and slightly up
- Specialized
Muscle on the inner side of the eye that moves the eye toward the nose
- Specialized
Ability to feel where your body parts are and how they move without looking
- Slur
A gay man, often a bodybuilder, with a very large, strong body who likes to show it
- Specialized
A large muscle at the back of the lower leg that lifts the heel when you stand on tiptoe
- Specialized
A large muscle at the back of the hip that moves the thigh and forms the buttock
- Specialized
A large inner thigh muscle that pulls the leg toward the middle of the body and moves it backward
- Specialized
A large chest muscle that pulls the arm toward the body and turns it inward
- Specialized
A muscle in the upper back that pulls the shoulder blade toward the spine
- Specialized
A muscle inside the face that helps move the lower jaw when you chew
- Specialized
A small upper back muscle that pulls the shoulder blade toward the spine and slightly up
- Specialized
A muscle in the upper back between the spine and shoulder blade that helps move and hold it
- Specialized
A muscle in the upper back that pulls the shoulder blade toward the spine
- Specialized
A muscle on the side of the neck that moves the neck and helps you breathe
How Powerful
Surface Forms
Etymology
Muscle also came to mean 'power' or 'influence' because people use the idea of physical strength as a picture for force, as in 'flexing your muscle'. That's why saying someone has muscle means they have the power to make things happen.