Meanings
nounmuzzle (plural muzzles)
plural muzzles
- The protruding part of an animal's head which includes the nose, mouth and jaws.
The yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes, / The yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle on the window-panes, […]
1915 June, T[homas] S[tearns] Eliot, “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock”, in Prufrock and Other Observations, London: The Egoist […], published 1917, →OCLC, page 10Synonyms: snout
- broadlyderogatoryslangA person's mouth.
verbmuzzle (third-person singular simple present muzzles, present participle muzzling, simple past and past participle muzzled)
present singular third person muzzles · participle present muzzling · participle past muzzled · past muzzled
- figurativelytransitiveTo restrain (from speaking, expressing opinion or acting); to gag; to silence; to censor.
Those who want to muzzle everyone else are likely nothing less than pseudovirtuous.
1 more example
Man is brow-beaten, leashed, muzzled, masked, and lashed by boards and councils, by leagues and societies, by church and state.
1919, Boris Sidis, The Source and Aim of Human Progress - obsoletetransitiveTo fondle with the closed mouth; to nuzzle.
Venus her self would sit Muzzling and Gazing them in the Eyes
1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC1 more example
And now, while they are climbing the pole in another part of the field, and muzzling in a flour-tub in another, the old farmer […] announces to all whom it may concern that a half-sovereign in money will be forthcoming to the old gamester who breaks most heads; […]
1857, Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown's School Days - intransitiveTo bring the muzzle or mouth near.
The Bear comes directly up to him, Muzzles and Smells to him.
1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe protruding part of an animal's head which includes the nose, mouth and jaws.
Similar
nounA piece of the forward end of the plow-beam by which the traces are attached.
Similar
verbTo bind or confine an animal's mouth by putting a muzzle, as to prevent it from eating or biting.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nounrestraint put into a person's mouth to prevent speaking or shouting
Similar
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latinmūsus“snout”
- Old Frenchmusel
- Middle Englishmosel
- Englishmuzzle
From earlier muzle, musle, mousle, mussel, mozell, from Middle English mosel, from Old French musel, museau, muzeau (modern French museau), from Late Latin mūsus (“snout”), probably expressive of the shape of protruded lips and/or influenced by Latin mūgīre (“to moo, bellow”). Doublet of museau. Displaced native Middle English kevel from Old English cæfl (“gag, bit, muzzle”), see English cavel.
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek ῥύγχος, φιμός
- ῥύγχος (rhúnkhos)part of animal's head
- φιμός (phimós)device to stop an animal from biting
- κημός (kēmós)device to stop an animal from biting
- φιμόω (phimóō)to apply a muzzle
Arabic خَطْم, خِطَام
- خَطْم (ḵaṭm)part of animal's head
- خِطَام (ḵiṭām)device to stop an animal from biting
- كِمَامَة (kimāma)device to stop an animal from biting
Bulgarian муцуна, намо́рдник
- муцуна (mucuna)part of animal's head
- намо́рдник (namórdnik)device to stop an animal from biting
- дуло (dulo)open end of a gun
- слагам намордник (slagam namordnik)to apply a muzzle
- запушвам устата на (zapušvam ustata na)to restrain from speaking or acting
- запуша устата на (zapuša ustata na)to restrain from speaking or acting
Catalan musell, morrió
- musellpart of animal's head
- morriódevice to stop an animal from biting
- bocaopen end of a gun
Chinese Mandarin 口吻, 口絡 /口络
- 口吻 (kǒuwěn)part of animal's head
- 口絡 /口络 (kǒuluò)device to stop an animal from biting
- 槍口 /枪口 (qiāngkǒu)open end of a gun
Czech čenich, čumák
- čenichpart of animal's head
- čumákpart of animal's head
- náhubekdevice to stop an animal from biting
- ústíopen end of a gun
Danish snude
- snudepart of animal's head
Dutch snuit, muilband
- snuitpart of animal's head
- muilbanddevice to stop an animal from biting
- muilkorfdevice to stop an animal from biting
- muilkorvento apply a muzzle
- muilkorvento restrain from speaking or acting
Esperanto muzelo, buŝumo
- muzelopart of animal's head
- buŝumodevice to stop an animal from biting
- buŝumito apply a muzzle
- silentigito restrain from speaking or acting
Estonian koon, suukorv
- koonpart of animal's head
- suukorvdevice to stop an animal from biting
Finnish kuono, turpa
- kuonopart of animal's head
- turpapart of animal's head
- kuonokoppadevice to stop an animal from biting
- suuopen end of a gun
- laittaa kuonokoppato apply a muzzle
- tukkiato restrain from speaking or acting
- estääto restrain from speaking or acting
French museau, muselière
- museaupart of animal's head
- muselièredevice to stop an animal from biting
- muselerto apply a muzzle
- muselerto restrain from speaking or acting
German Schnauze, Nüster
- Schnauzepart of animal's head
- Nüsterpart of animal's head
- Maulkorbdevice to stop an animal from biting
- Mündungopen end of a gun
- jemandem einen Maulkorb verpassento restrain from speaking or acting
Greek ρύγχος, φίμωτρο
- ρύγχος (rýnchos)part of animal's head
- φίμωτρο (fímotro)device to stop an animal from biting
Hebrew חַרְטוֹם, מַחְסוֹם
- חַרְטוֹם (ẖartóm)part of animal's head
- מַחְסוֹם (maẖsóm)device to stop an animal from biting
- זְמָם (zmám)device to stop an animal from biting
- לֹעַ (lóa')open end of a gun
Hungarian pofa, pofázmány
- pofapart of animal's head
- pofázmánypart of animal's head
- szájkosárdevice to stop an animal from biting
- torkolatopen end of a gun
Icelandic trýni, múli
- trýnipart of animal's head
- múlipart of animal's head
- snoppapart of animal's head
- granirpart of animal's head
- múlldevice to stop an animal from biting
- bitmúlidevice to stop an animal from biting
- mýlidevice to stop an animal from biting
- munnkarfadevice to stop an animal from biting
- byssukjafturopen end of a gun
- mýlato apply a muzzle
- múlbindato apply a muzzle
- setja munnkörfu á (dýr)to apply a muzzle
- þagga niður íto restrain from speaking or acting
- múlbindato restrain from speaking or acting
Irish béalóg, musal
- béalógdevice to stop an animal from biting
- musaldevice to stop an animal from biting
- mantógdevice to stop an animal from biting
- béalopen end of a gun
Italian muso, museruola
- musopart of animal's head
- museruoladevice to stop an animal from biting
- mordacchiadevice to stop an animal from biting
- avancaricaopen end of a gun
- mettere la museruolato apply a muzzle
- imbavagliareto restrain from speaking or acting
- mettere a tacereto restrain from speaking or acting
Japanese 鼻面, 口輪
- 鼻面 (hanazura)part of animal's head
- 口輪 (kuchiwa)device to stop an animal from biting
- 銃口 (jūkō)open end of a gun
Latin rostrum
- rostrumpart of animal's head
Lithuanian snukis, apynasris
- snukispart of animal's head
- apynasrisdevice to stop an animal from biting
- antsnukisdevice to stop an animal from biting
Malay muncung, mata bedil
- muncungpart of animal's head
- mata bedilopen end of a gun
Māori mōkā, mokonaha
- mōkādevice to stop an animal from biting
- mokonahadevice to stop an animal from biting
- pōnīnīdevice to stop an animal from biting
- māngaiopen end of a gun
- ngutuopen end of a gun
- whakamōkāto apply a muzzle
- mokonahato apply a muzzle
- pōnīnīto apply a muzzle
Norwegian sette munnkurv på, gi
- sette munnkurv påto apply a muzzle
- gito restrain from speaking or acting
- få munnkurvto restrain from speaking or acting
Norwegian Bokmål snute, munning
- snutepart of animal's head
- munningopen end of a gun
Persian پوزه, پوزهبند
- پوزه (puze)part of animal's head
- پوزهبند (puze-band)device to stop an animal from biting
Polish pysk, ryj
- pyskpart of animal's head
- ryjpart of animal's head
- mordapart of animal's head
- kaganiecdevice to stop an animal from biting
- wylotopen end of a gun
- nakładać kaganiecto apply a muzzle
- nałożyć kaganiecto apply a muzzle
- nakładać kaganiecto restrain from speaking or acting
- nałożyć kaganiecto restrain from speaking or acting
Portuguese focinho, focinheira
- focinhopart of animal's head
- focinheiradevice to stop an animal from biting
- açaimedevice to stop an animal from biting
- açaimodevice to stop an animal from biting
- canoopen end of a gun
- amordaçarto apply a muzzle
- amordaçarto restrain from speaking or acting
Romanian bot, gură
- botpart of animal's head
- gurăopen end of a gun
Russian мо́рда, ры́ло
- мо́рда (mórda)part of animal's head
- ры́ло (rýlo)part of animal's head
- намо́рдник (namórdnik)device to stop an animal from biting
- ду́ло (dúlo)open end of a gun
- жерло́ (žerló)open end of a gun
Scottish Gaelic glas-ghuib
- glas-ghuibdevice to stop an animal from biting
Slovak náhubok, ústie
- náhubokdevice to stop an animal from biting
- ústieopen end of a gun
Spanish hocico, bozal
- hocicopart of animal's head
- bozaldevice to stop an animal from biting
- bocaopen end of a gun
- amordazarto apply a muzzle
- amordazarto restrain from speaking or acting
- censurarto restrain from speaking or acting
- atarto restrain from speaking or acting
- limitarto restrain from speaking or acting
Swedish nos, mule
- nospart of animal's head
- mulepart of animal's head
- munkorgdevice to stop an animal from biting
- mynningopen end of a gun
- sätta munkavle påto restrain from speaking or acting
- tysta nerto restrain from speaking or acting
Turkish ağız, burunsalık
- ağızpart of animal's head
- burunsalıkdevice to stop an animal from biting
- burunsakdevice to stop an animal from biting
- burunlukdevice to stop an animal from biting
- ağızlıkdevice to stop an animal from biting
- ağızlık takmakto apply a muzzle
Ukrainian мо́рда, намо́рдник
- мо́рда (mórda)part of animal's head
- намо́рдник (namórdnyk)device to stop an animal from biting
- ду́ло (dúlo)open end of a gun
Vietnamese mõm, rọ mõm
- mõmpart of animal's head
- rọ mõmdevice to stop an animal from biting
Welsh mwsel, penwar
- mwseldevice to stop an animal from biting
- penwardevice to stop an animal from biting
Yiddish פּיסק
- פּיסק (pisk)part of animal's head
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with muzzle
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
muzzle. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muzzle
MLA
“muzzle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muzzle. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “muzzle,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/muzzle.
Source: muzzle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.