Illustration of muzzle
- muzzle 2a
1
: the projecting jaws and nose of an animal : snout
2
a
: a fastening or covering for the mouth of an animal used to prevent eating or biting
b
: something (such as censorship) that restrains normal expression
3
: the open end of an implement
especially
: the discharging end of a weapon
Examples of muzzle in a Sentence
Verb
a dangerous dog that should be muzzled
attempts by the government to muzzle the press
The company has tried to muzzle its employees by forbidding them to speak to the press.
Recent Examples on the Web
Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Then in September, a Secret Service agent spotted the muzzle of a rifle sticking out of a fence in bushes at Trump's West Palm Beach golf club while scouting the course ahead of Trump.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
Candice Frederick, Refinery29, 8 May 2025
The agency’s chief spokesman quit in frustration last week, saying the C.D.C. has been muzzled since January, when Mr. Trump returned to office.
—Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muzzle
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Noun
At Trump’s West Palm Beach, Fla., golf course on Sept. 15, a Secret Service agent scoping out the area one or two holes ahead of him saw the muzzle of an AK-47-style weapon pointing out of the tree line on the perimeter of the course.
—Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 4 June 2025
Then in September, a Secret Service agent spotted the muzzle of a rifle sticking out of a fence in bushes at Trump's West Palm Beach golf club while scouting the course ahead of Trump.
—Khaleda Rahman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 June 2025
Verb
That’s what both Blume’s novel and Akil’s adaptation offer audiences: A safe space to have those conversations, the very ones that conservatives want so desperately to muzzle right now.
—Candice Frederick, Refinery29, 8 May 2025
The agency’s chief spokesman quit in frustration last week, saying the C.D.C. has been muzzled since January, when Mr. Trump returned to office.
—Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muzzle
Cite this Entry
“Muzzle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/muzzle. Accessed 9 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
muzzle
2 of 2 verb
muzzled; muzzling
ˈməz-(ə-)liŋ 
1
: to put a muzzle on
2
: to prevent free or normal expression by : gag
the dictator muzzled the press
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