muscle

 
Pronunciation: /ˈmʌs(ə)l/

noun

  • 1a band or bundle of fibrous tissue in a human or animal body that has the ability to contract, producing movement in or maintaining the position of parts of the body: the calf muscle [mass noun]: the sheet of muscle between the abdomen and chest
  • a muscle or muscles when well developed or prominently visible under the skin: his muscles rippled beneath his tanned skin
  • 2 [mass noun] physical power; strength: he had muscle but no brains
  • informal a man or men exhibiting physical power or strength, typically employed to use or threaten violence: an ex-marine of enormous proportions who’d been brought along as muscle
  • power or influence, especially in a commercial or political sphere: many companies lack the financial muscle to adopt a more hard-nosed relationship with buyers

verb

informal
  • 1 [with object and adverbial] chiefly North American move (an object) in a particular direction by using one’s physical strength: they were muscling baggage into the hold of the plane
  • coerce by violence or by economic or political pressure: he was eventually muscled out of the market

Phrases

flex one's muscles

give a show of strength or power: the committee likes to flex its political muscles from time to time

not move a muscle

not move at all: the driver shouted in his ear, but he did not move a muscle

Phrasal Verbs

muscle in/into

informal use one’s power or influence to interfere with or become involved in (another’s affairs): the banks' attempts to muscle in on the insurance business

muscle up

US informal build up one’s muscles: to prepare for his role, he cut his hair, muscled up, and went to boot camp

Derivatives

muscled

adjective
[in combination]: hard-muscled

muscleless

adjective

Origin:

late Middle English: from French, from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus 'mouse' (some muscles being thought to be mouse-like in form)

Do not confuse muscle with mussel. Muscle means 'the tissue that moves a body part' ( tone up your thigh muscles), whereas mussel means 'a shellfish' ( fish soup with mussels and clams).