Meaning & use
muscles
Last updated
“muscles” is a form of “muscle”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meanings
nounplural
The bands of tissue in the body that tighten and relax to produce movement and hold the body in position.
Grammar: Plural of muscle: my leg muscles ache.
Patterns
- muscles in something
- strengthen your muscles
Swimming works the muscles in your arms and shoulders.
My leg muscles were sore after the long hike.
Warm up your muscles before you run.
nounpluralfigurativeinformal
Physical strength or power, or the ability to influence others through force or resources.
Grammar: Often figurative with flex: the company flexed its muscles.
Patterns
- flex your muscles
- put some muscles into something
The union flexed its muscles by calling a strike.
He used his muscles to move the heavy piano.
The country is showing off its economic muscles.
Common combinations
- strain your muscles
- Don't lift that too quickly or you may strain your muscles.
- stretch your muscles
- She stretched her muscles after the long flight.
- tone the muscles
- Yoga helps to tone the muscles without heavy weights.
- sore muscles
- A hot bath can soothe sore muscles.
- build muscles
- Regular exercise helps you build muscles.
- flex your muscles
- The company flexed its muscles in the negotiations.
Synonyms and how they differ
- brawn
- Brawn means physical strength itself, whereas muscles are the body tissues that produce it.
- sinews
- Sinews are tough cords connecting muscle to bone, though the word is also used poetically for strength.
- power
- Power is a general word for strength or influence, and is less physical than muscles.
- strength
- Strength names the ability to exert force, but muscles are the physical parts of the body that provide it.
Opposites
Word family
- muscle noun
- the singular form, one band of tissue that moves a body part
- muscular adjective
- having well developed muscles, or relating to muscles
- muscle in phrasal verb
- to force your way into something
- musculature noun
- the system or arrangement of muscles in a body
Commonly confused: muscles or mussels? muscles or muscle?
muscles vs mussels
Mussels are shellfish, pronounced the same as muscles, so check the spelling.
muscles vs muscle
Muscle is singular; use muscles for more than one, as in 'these muscles ache'.
Practice
After the climb, my ____ ached for two days.
Choose one answer.
Muscles is the plural noun for body tissue. Mussels is a homophone meaning shellfish, a tempting spelling error, and the singular muscle does not agree with the plural sense.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “muscles”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.