muddle through

mud·dle through
UK/ˈmʌdl̩ θɹuː/US/ˈmʌd(ə)l θɹu/

verb

To succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained.

“I’ve only had a few lessons, but I can muddle through the test.”

Similar
get alongget bymake domuddle alongscrape alongscrape by
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Meanings

verbmuddle through (third-person singular simple present muddles through, present participle muddling through, simple past and past participle muddled through)

present singular third person muddles through · participle present muddling through · participle past muddled through · past muddled through

  1. ambitransitiveTo succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained.

    I’ve only had a few lessons, but I can muddle through the test.

    3 more examples

    Someday soon we all will be together / If the fates allow. / Until then we'll have to muddle through somehow. / So have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

    1943 (date written), “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”, in Ralph Blane (lyrics), Hugh Martin (music), Meet Me in St. Louis (soundtrack; 1944), performed by Judy Garland

    Well one is a little anxious, one is always wary of the unknown, but I have faith somehow I'll muddle through.

    1984 December 17, Antony Jay, Jonathan Lynn, “Party Games (Yes Minister)”, in Yes Minister, spoken by Humphrey Appleby (Nigel Hawthorne)

    If Labour's senior team thinks that it can just muddle through to the next election without a coherent plan about how to tackle the problems of the industry, it is making a big mistake.

    2023 March 8, Christian Wolmar, “Labour passes up the chance to deliver a forceful rail policy”, in RAIL, number 978, page 34

    Synonyms: get along, get by, make do, muddle along, scrape along, scrape by

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained.

Similar
get alongget bymake domuddle alongscrape alongscrape by

Origin

From muddle (“to think and act in a confused, aimless way”) + through.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 應付過去 /应付过去, 勉強勝任 /勉强胜任
  • 應付過去 /应付过去 (yìngfuguòqu)to succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained
  • 勉強勝任 /勉强胜任 (miǎnqiǎngshèngrèn)to succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained
Finnish selvitä jotenkin, pärjätä jotenkin
  • selvitä jotenkinto succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained
  • pärjätä jotenkinto succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained
  • rämpiä läpito succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained
German sich durchwursteln
  • sich durchwurstelnto succeed (often clumsily) despite being ill-equipped or inadequately trained
Cite this entry
APA

muddle through. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muddle%20through

MLA

“muddle through.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muddle%20through. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “muddle through,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muddle%20through.

Source: muddle through on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.