muse

1 of 3

verb

mused; musing

intransitive verb

1
: to become absorbed in thought
especially : to think about something carefully and thoroughly
musing about what might have been
2
archaic : wonder, marvel

transitive verb

: to think or say (something) in a thoughtful way
"I could sell the house," she mused, "but where would I go?"
muser noun

muse

2 of 3

noun (1)

: a state of deep thought or dreamy abstraction
thrown into a muse by the book she was reading

muse

3 of 3

noun (2)

1
capitalized : any of the nine sister goddesses in Greek mythology presiding over song and poetry and the arts and sciences
Clio is the Greek Muse of history.
2
: a source of inspiration
especially : a guiding genius
The writer's beloved wife was his muse.
3
: poet

Did you know?

Muse on this: the word muse comes from the Anglo-French muser, meaning “to gape, to idle, to muse.” (Amuse has the same source.) The image evoked is one of a thinker so absorbed in thought as to be unconsciously open-mouthed. Those who muse on their pets’ musings might like to know that muser is ultimately from Latin musus, meaning “mouth of an animal”—also source of the word muzzle. The sister goddesses of Greek mythology known as the Muses have no etymological link: that word, which in lowercase refers to a source of inspiration, comes from Greek Mousa. The ultimate Greek origin of the word museum translates as “of the Muses.”

Choose the Right Synonym for muse

ponder, meditate, muse, ruminate mean to consider or examine attentively or deliberately.

ponder implies a careful weighing of a problem or, often, prolonged inconclusive thinking about a matter.

pondered the course of action

meditate implies a definite focusing of one's thoughts on something so as to understand it deeply.

meditated on the meaning of life

muse suggests a more or less focused daydreaming as in remembrance.

mused upon childhood joys

ruminate implies going over the same matter in one's thoughts again and again but suggests little of either purposive thinking or rapt absorption.

ruminated on past disappointments

Examples of muse in a Sentence

Verb I could sell the house, she mused, but then where would I go?
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Schallert also mused that both Warner and Wallis knew what awards were coming in advance. Chris Yogerst, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024 Interestingly, opinions are divided between parents wondering why the holes are necessary, and even feel offended by the offering—and those who find fault with why someone would dare to muse that the floral frock is problematic. Melissa Willets, Parents, 6 Mar. 2024 The song, part of his upcoming sophomore album, Tennessee Truth, has some fans musing if the new track is a dig at Tyler Hubbard, the Georgia half of former country music duo Florida George Line. Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 6 Mar. 2024 The preamble mused that one approach might be to increase the 50 percent requirement incrementally. Marie Sapirie, Forbes, 20 Feb. 2024 Trump has already mused about ending the war in Ukraine in 24 hours, and his first-term attempt to hold Ukraine’s security hostage to pursue a vendetta against Biden may indicate a readiness to impose an unfavorable peace deal on Kyiv. Peter D. Feaver, Foreign Affairs, 19 Feb. 2024 Written in the wake of their separation, Hansen-Løve’s film mused somewhat tartly on the challenges of preserving one’s sense of self while maintaining a relationship with an older artist who regards you as a subject as well as a lover. Guy Lodge, Variety, 17 Feb. 2024 After the first death—and then one more, which another resident found—the head farmer had mused that maybe an illness was going around. Hazlitt, 14 Feb. 2024 Through a series of drolly hilarious and frequently moving essays, the comedian vividly muses on family, heartbreak, religious guilt and the general gay chaos of modern dating. USA TODAY, 5 Jan. 2024
Noun
Gwendoline is his muse Among his celebrity clientele is, of course, Christie. Katie Mannion, Peoplemag, 3 Mar. 2024 Whatever the case may be, Kardashian—his ongoing muse—was obviously the best VIP guest to pull it off in the front row. Christian Allaire, Vogue, 3 Mar. 2024 At Giorgio Armani, the designer opened his show with his 1980s muse Gina di Bernardo — who was shot in several of legendary photographer Aldo Fallai’s campaigns for the house in the period — taking to the runway. Scarlett Conlon, CNN, 27 Feb. 2024 After retreating to recover in his apartment at Rue de Lille, Montana married his muse, Wallis Franken, in 1993, which may have been a lavender union. Rachel Elspeth Gross, Forbes, 23 Feb. 2024 More than a muse of the gritty-yet-glamorous New York avant-garde art scene of the 1970s, she's now hailed as a trailblazing transgender actress who lived — and died — before her time. Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 25 Feb. 2024 The book provides an insight to the creative muse, working process and emotional impact. Lily Moayeri, SPIN, 19 Feb. 2024 Both muses donned classic nails; Campbell with a squared French tip, while Walker’s were adorned with white bows. India Espy-Jones, Essence, 9 Feb. 2024 But as the longtime Oakland native sees it, there’s a long history of sport in art — poems, songs, movies, television shows — and basketball can be as worthy a muse as any. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'muse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French muser to gape, idle, muse, from Old French *mus mouth of an animal, from Medieval Latin musus

Noun (2)

Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin Musa, from Greek Mousa

First Known Use

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of muse was in the 14th century

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Dictionary Entries Near muse

Cite this Entry

“Muse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muse. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

muse

1 of 2 verb
mused; musing
: ponder

muse

2 of 2 noun
1
capitalized : any of the nine sister goddesses of song and poetry and the arts and sciences in Greek mythology
2
: a source of inspiration
Etymology

Verb

Middle English musen "to ponder," from early French muser "to gape, muse," Latin musus "mouth of an animal"

Noun

Middle English Muse "one of the nine goddesses of the arts," from early French Muse (same meaning), from Latin Musa (same meaning), from Greek Mousa "Muse"

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