muscle

A part of the body that tightens and relaxes to move a limb or other body part.

• My leg muscles feel sore.
• He pulled a muscle while running.
• These exercises strengthen the muscles in your back.

Common phrases: arm muscle, pull a muscle, build muscle

Body material made of cells that shorten to produce movement.

• Muscle needs energy to work.
• The sample contains both muscle and fat.
• Smooth muscle helps move food through the body.

Similar words: muscle tissue

Common phrases: muscle tissue, skeletal muscle, smooth muscle

To move yourself or something else by using great physical force.

• He muscled the door open.
• She muscled her way past the guards.
• We muscled the piano up the steps.

How to use it: muscle your way through something (He muscled his way through the crowd.); muscle something into something (They muscled the heavy sofa into the lift.)

Similar words: force, heave

Common phrases: muscle through something, muscle something aside, muscle your way