muck 1 of 2

noun

ˈmək How to pronounce muck (audio)
Definition of mucknext
1
as in dirt
foul matter that mars the purity or cleanliness of something spattered with muck from the pigpen

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2
as in mud
soft wet earth her shoes were covered with muck by the end of the soccer game

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3
as in junk
that which is of low quality or worth what's this muck that you've been watching on TV, anyway?

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4
as in garbage
language, behavior, or ideas that are absurd and contrary to good sense there's some solid substance in this book, but the reader has to trudge through a lot of muck to get to it

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muck

2 of 2

verb

as in to stain
to make dirty you can't work in the garden and not expect to muck your clothes

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of muck
Noun
An exciting World Cup run mucked up by a president for whom muck might as well be a currency. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026 Rescuers were able to pull the woman out of the muck and rushed her to a local hospital, where she was treated for severe dehydration, prolonged sun exposure and other injuries. — Alexandra Koch, FOXNews.com, 6 July 2026
Verb
Jonas Valanciunas rejoined the action at backup center, mucking things up. — Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 28 Apr. 2026 In retirement, he’s gone back to that childhood, mucking the stalls and helping care for a menagerie that includes two horses, 10 mini goats, two mini pigs, a pair of horses and a bunch of chickens and dogs and cats. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for muck
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muck
  1. dirt
  2. mud
  3. junk
  4. garbage
  5. stain
  6. soil
  7. cheese
  8. nonsense
Noun
  • Store them in dedicated shoe bags Getting dirt and grime from your shoes on your clean clothes won’t end your trip early.
    — Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2026
  • This fall delivers special access to Keeneland’s 90th anniversary and, for the first time since 2020, the Breeders' Cup World Championships back on its own dirt and turf.
    — Jill Barth, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of dirt
Noun
  • The president also frequently recounts that hordes of women, including journalists, Cabinet members and administration officials, used to complain to him about their high heels getting stuck in the mud in the old, grassy Rose Garden.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026
  • While Kona Big Wave offered skateboarding, beer and camaraderie, T-Mobile’s Club Magenta offered some fans a covered respite from first rain and then mud Friday night and Saturday.
    — Jim Ryan, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of mud
Noun
  • Several symbolic scenes, similarly unfolding in sinuous long takes—a ritualistic repetition of local habits at the junk yard, a formal dance of non-seduction at a luncheonette with a jukebox—lay bare the town’s ingrained and unyielding mores.
    — Richard Brody, New Yorker, 11 Aug. 2026
  • In a lengthy feature published Sunday, the New York Times unpacked how Oracle executive chairman and CTO Larry Ellison’s aggressive spending on AI has left his company so heavily leveraged that its bonds are nearing junk ratings.
    — Rob Pegoraro, PC Magazine, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of junk
Noun
  • Marcy had her hair tied up with a bow made from nylon cord and was bent over a fold-up kitchen counter rearranging wet garbage.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Polls show Farage is still likely to win, but that Count Binface — a spoof candidate who wears a garbage pail on his head — may get around 20-percent of the vote.
    — Lauren Frayer, NPR, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of garbage
Verb
  • Incomplete, broken, and damaged or stained items and clothing should be thrown out.
    — The Spruce, The Spruce, 11 Aug. 2026
  • On the floor were six cots and a couple of mattresses, stained and foul-smelling.
    — Joshua Yaffa, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of stain
Noun
  • Officials said deep peat soil, limited water supplies, difficult access and strong winds have complicated efforts, even with three helicopters conducting aerial firefighting operations.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Two weeks ago, the United States and Saudi Arabia signed a multibillion-dollar deal allowing US companies to build and operate nuclear power plants on Saudi soil over the next 30 years.
    — The Week UK, TheWeek, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of soil
Noun
  • There’s local cheese dusted with bee pollen from the island’s own hives.
    — Monica Mendal, Vogue, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Bieber's carousel also included a video of herself working out at a gym and a photo in which she was seen holding a plate of meatballs topped with red sauce and cheese.
    — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of cheese
Noun
  • Seeing her daughter in that state, babbling nonsense and barely able to stand, Letizia had goggled with the watery eyes of a sickly old lady.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
  • As the latest chapter in the epic British-American poem known as Fleetwood Mac,Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks are back to tolerating each other’s nonsense in a sexy way.
    — Devon Ivie, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of nonsense

Phrases Containing muck

Browse Nearby Words

mucilages
muck
muck (about or around)
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Cite this Entry

“Muck.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muck. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on muck

Nglish: Translation of muck for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about muck

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