Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense muses, present participle musing, past tense, past participle mused
1. verb
If you muse on something, you think about it, usually saying or writing what you are thinking at the same time.
[written]
Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President. [V + on/about/over]
'As a whole,' she muses, 'the 'organized church' turns me off'. [VERB with quote]
He once mused that he would have voted Labour in 1964 had he been old enough. [VERB that]
Synonyms: ponder, consider, reflect, contemplate More Synonyms of muse
musingWord forms: plural musingscountable noun
His musings were interrupted by Montagu who came and sat down next to him.
Synonyms: thinking, reflection, meditation, abstraction More Synonyms of muse
2. countable noun
A muse is someone who gives an artist ideas or a desire to create art, poetry, or music.
Once she was a nude model and muse to French artist Henri Matisse. [+ to]
...the muses who fuel his inspiration.
muse in British English1
(mjuːz)
verb
1. (whenintr, often foll by on or about)
to reflect (about) or ponder (on), usually in silence
2. (intransitive)
to gaze thoughtfully
noun
3. archaic
a state of abstraction
Derived forms
muser (ˈmuser)
noun
museful (ˈmuseful)
adjective
musefully (ˈmusefully)
adverb
Word origin
C14: from Old French muser, perhaps from mus snout, from Medieval Latin mūsus
muse in British English2
(mjuːz)
noun
a woman who inspires a creative artist, esp a poet
Word origin
C14: from Old French, from Latin Mūsa, from Greek Mousa a Muse
Muse in British English
(mjuːz)
noun
Greek mythology
any of nine sister goddesses, each of whom was regarded as the protectress of a different art or science. Daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne, the nine are Calliope, Clio, Erato, Euterpe, Melpomene, Polyhymnia, Terpsichore, Thalia, and Urania
Muse in American English
(mjuz)
noun
1. Greek Mythology
any of the Muses
2.
a. [m-]
the spirit that is thought to inspire a poet or other artist; source of genius or inspiration
b. Rare
a poet
Word origin
OFr < L musa < Gr mousa, a Muse, music, eloquence < ? IE base *mendh-, to pay attention to, be lively > ON munda, to strive
muse in American English
(mjuz)
verb intransitiveWord forms: mused or ˈmusing
1.
to think deeply and at length; meditate
verb transitive
2.
to think or say meditatively
noun
3.
a musing; deep meditation
Word origin
ME musen < OFr muser, to ponder, loiter, orig., ? to stand with muzzle in the air < ML *musare < musum (> OFr musel), snout, muzzle
Examples of 'muse' in a sentence
muse
And about opportunity, what I figured was, you can tell your muse where you want to go, but you can't stipulate the route.
Anita Anderson SOMEBODY (2002)
`I was just wondering," he said, like a man in a muse, `whether Lachie would have turned back.
Maclean, Alistair THE LONELY SEA (2002)
And the deficiency of his muse had really nothing to do with insomnia or pain.
Armstrong, Campbell MAMBO (2002)
In other languages
muse
British English: muse VERB
If you muse on something, you think about it, usually saying or writing what you are thinking at the same time.
Many of the papers muse on the fate of the President.
He once mused that he might buy the island.
American English: muse
Brazilian Portuguese: meditar
Chinese: 沉思
European Spanish: reflexionar
French: méditer
German: nachsinnen
Italian: speculare
Japanese: 熟考し言葉として発する
Korean: 생각에 잠겨 말하다
European Portuguese: meditar
Latin American Spanish: reflexionar
(verb)
Definition
to think deeply and at length about
Many of the papers mused on the fate of the President.He lay and mused in the warm sunlight.
Synonyms
ponder
He didn't waste time pondering the question.
consider
Consider how much you can afford to pay.
reflect
I reflected on the child's future.
contemplate
He lay in his hospital bed and cried as he contemplated his future.
think
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think.
weigh up
deliberate
The jury deliberated for two hours before returning with the verdict.
speculate
The reader can speculate about what will happen next.
brood
He constantly broods about his family.
meditate
I was meditating, and reached a higher state of consciousness.
mull over
She had been mulling over the idea of making a movie.
think over
ruminate
I had time to ruminate as I drove along.
cogitate
He was silent as he cogitated on what she had just said.
be lost in thought
be in a brown study
Additional synonyms
in the sense of brood
Definition
to think long and unhappily about something
He constantly broods about his family.
Synonyms
think,
obsess,
muse,
ponder,
fret,
meditate,
agonize,
mull over,
mope,
ruminate,
eat your heart out,
dwell upon,
repine
in the sense of cogitate
Definition
to think deeply about (something)
He was silent as he cogitated on what she had just said.
Synonyms
think,
consider,
reflect,
contemplate,
deliberate,
muse,
ponder,
meditate,
mull over,
ruminate
in the sense of consider
Definition
to think carefully about (a problem or decision)
Consider how much you can afford to pay.
Synonyms
think about,
study,
reflect on,
examine,
weigh,
contemplate,
deliberate,
muse,
ponder,
revolve,
meditate,
work over,
mull over,
eye up,
ruminate,
chew over,
cogitate,
turn over in your mind
Synonyms of 'muse'
muse
Explore 'muse' in the dictionary
Additional synonyms
in the sense of contemplate
Definition
to think deeply about
He lay in his hospital bed and cried as he contemplated his future.
Synonyms
think about,
consider,
ponder,
mull over,
reflect upon,
ruminate (upon),
meditate on,
brood over,
muse over,
deliberate over,
revolve or turn over in your mind
in the sense of deliberate
Definition
to consider (something) deeply
The jury deliberated for two hours before returning with the verdict.
Synonyms
consider,
think,
ponder,
discuss,
debate,
reflect,
consult,
weigh,
meditate,
mull over,
ruminate,
cogitate
in the sense of meditate
Definition
to think about something deeply
I was meditating, and reached a higher state of consciousness.
Synonyms
reflect,
think,
consider,
contemplate,
deliberate,
muse,
ponder,
ruminate,
cogitate,
be in a brown study,
plan,
design,
scheme,
purpose,
intend,
devise,
have in mind
in the sense of mull over
Definition
to study or ponder
She had been mulling over the idea of making a movie.
Synonyms
ponder,
consider,
study,
think about,
examine,
review,
weigh,
contemplate,
reflect on,
think over,
muse on,
meditate on,
ruminate on,
deliberate on,
turn something over in your mind
in the sense of reflect
Definition
to consider carefully
I reflected on the child's future.
Synonyms
consider,
think,
contemplate,
deliberate,
muse,
ponder,
meditate,
mull over,
ruminate,
cogitate,
wonder
in the sense of ruminate
Definition
to meditate or ponder
I had time to ruminate as I drove along.
Synonyms
ponder,
think,
consider,
reflect,
contemplate,
deliberate,
muse,
brood,
meditate,
mull over things,
chew over things,
cogitate,
rack your brains,
turn over in your mind
in the sense of speculate
Definition
to form opinions about something, esp. its future consequences, based on the information available
The reader can speculate about what will happen next.
Synonyms
conjecture,
consider,
wonder,
guess,
suppose,
contemplate,
deliberate,
muse,
meditate,
surmise,
theorize,
hypothesize,
cogitate
in the sense of think
Definition
to engage in conscious thought
She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to think.